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The 
Boys' Round Table 



A MANUAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL 

ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF 

KING ARTHUR 



BY 

WILLIAM BYRON FORBUSH 

Founder and Mage Merlin 



FRANK LINCOLN MASSECK 
International King 



SIXTH EDITION. REWRITTEN 



Potsdam, New York 

Frank Lincoln Masseck 

1908 



Copyright 

1898 

By Leonard Publishing Co. 

1902, 1903 

By Augustus S. Brandow 

1906, 1907, 1908 

By William Byron Forbush and Frank Lincoln Masseck 



soles I 

; OCT 15 

GMfrttWrt 






Press op 

Brandow Printing Company 

Albany. N. Y. 



Preface 

It seems good to signalize the fifteenth anniversary 
of the largest fraternity of church boys in the world 
by a new and enlarged edition of its manual of 
guidance. 

The endeavor has been made in this edition to 
explain fully the great philosophy which the authors 
believe underlies the attractive and ingenious methods, 
and which has worked out in many places into a 
splendid work of character building. 

The order has been singularly fortunate in having 
received the co-operation of many people of con- 
secrated ability. Especially would we mention the 
Rev. W. E. Hayes, the Rev. F. W. Gibbs, the Rev. 
E. F. Tallmadge, the Rev. R. M. D. Adams, Miss A. 
B. Mackintire and Mr. Charles H. McCurdy, who 
have much enriched the various rituals. 

Our readers are asked to note that the actual con- 
duct of the order is in the hands of Mr. Masseck and 
that all inquiries are to be addressed to him and all 
apparatus is to be ordered of him. 

William Byron Forbush, 
Frank Lincoln Masseck. 



A Message to Boys 

By the Founder of the Knights of King Arthur 

Fellows! Did you ever wish you were living in 
the age of chivalry? 

To ride out in the sunshine of flashing armor 
in company with brave adventure-seeking comrades, 
on noble quests, to dash into the tournament and 
fight for glory, and then to sit at the great Round 
Table before the splendid throne of the " Flower 
of Kings " — those were fine days! 

It was a happy thought that about fifteen years 
ago suggested a partial fulfillment of old King Ar- 
thur's prophecy that he would return to the world 
again, when some sturdy lads, descended from Anglo- 
Saxon stock, over here in the New England across 
the sea, founded a new Round Table and called them- 
selves Knights of King Arthur. 

They, too, had a king and a Merlin counselor, 
though not one of " uncounted winters," like the 
old magician. Beside their throne was a mystic Siege 
Perilous to which the bravest and best of their num- 
ber might be elected to sit by his peers. They had 
swords too, and banners, and they wore the white 
cross. They promised, as their ancient fathers once 
did, " to serve their King and their conscience and 
follow all that makes a man." And this they did 
in careful imitation of the old orders, beginning as 
pages dressed in shabby clothes and bearing their 
humility and the jokes of their superiors as best they 
could, serving some time as brisk and useful esquires, 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



and many of them at last, after thoughtfulness and 
fasting, receiving the white baldric as belted knights. 

Thousands of boys, some of them already young 
men of achievement, are to-day enrolled in the order. 
The lists are still open. Even the solitary boy who 
cannot form a castle may be one of the order and in 
his own play and work and study take, as the others 
have, some knightly name as his own and try to 
be the finest thing on earth— a Gentle Man. Sometime 
when there are other thousands added and the new 
chivalry has had time to find its quest, there will 
be a chivalrous kingdom of knightly-hearted men in 
the Great Republic and many wrongs will be righted 
by the hands of lads who wear a tiny white cross 
above their hearts. 

Do you like the vision? 

I like to think of an American Prince arming 
himself for the battle of life from crown to foot, 
his greaves buckled on by a sweet-spirited mother, 
while a watching sister stands near and breathes a 
gentle prayer. He goes forth with a mind that thinks 
naught unclean, a heart cheerful for every fate, a 
body supple and quick and strong, a will masterful 
but controlled, a soul reverent and watchful. Into 
the fight he goes. He may be hit hard, but he never 
turns back, his sword fails, he grasps up one dropped 
by some craven's hand and wins with it. For all 
high causes, for all that sweet womanhood holds 
holy, for all who are weak and helpless, his colors 
and his arm are at the front. He must, he will 
conquer. In the sign for which he fights, victory 
is sure. 

And then the glorious comradeship of it all! To 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

know that the other fellow far away is fighting the 
same battle and to dare be as brave as he ! What is 
that song I have heard the young knights sing? 

"By communion of the banner, 
Crimson, white and starry banner, 
By the baptism of the banner, 
Children of the Flag are we. 

By our bright cross-hilted sword-blades, 
By our flashing, heaven-bathed sword-blades, 
By our circled, comrade sword-blades, 
Warriors of the King we be. 

Comrades, hail the Cross that leads us, 
Comrades, hail the Grail that beckons, 
Comrades, hail the War that waits us. 
Knights of holy chivalry." 

— WM. BYRON FORBUSH 



Contents 

Page 

Preface 3 

A Message to Boys 5 

I. The History of the Order 15 

II. The Boys for Whom the Order is Intended ... 21 

III. The Plan of the Order 30 

IV. How to Conduct a Castle 41 

V. A Model Constitution 58 

VI. The Conclave 66 

VII. The First Degree 75 

VIII. The Second Degree 82 

IX. The Third Degree 88 

X. The Siege Perilous 96 

XI. The Peerage 100 

XII. A Form for Coronations 106 

XIII. A Form for Instituting a New Castle 113 

XIV. Suggestive Methods 117 

XV. Books, Pictures and Games 125 

XVI. Music 142 

XVII. Castles in Schools 158 

XVIII . Queens of Avilion 162 

XIX. The Brotherhood of David 164 

XX. The Woodcraft Indians 167 

XXI. The Captains of Ten 169 

XXII. Some Results 171 

XXIII. Apparatus and Price Lists 176 



Index of Cuts 



Page 
Castle Oakwild, 758, Versailles, Ohio 14 

Castle Rockrift, 805, Milford, N. H 32 

Arrangement of Hall 62 

Arrangement of Throne, Siege Perilous, etc 96 „ 

San Grael Castle, 582, Bangor, Me 130 

Castle Glamis, 694, Spring Forge, Pa 160 

Badges 179-183 

Banners 182 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

"Also Merlin made the Round Table, in token of 
the roundness of the world; for by the Round Table 
is the world signified by right. For all the world, 
Christian and heathen, resort unto the Round Table ; 
and when they are chosen to be of the fellowship 
of the Round Table, they think them more blessed, 
and more in worship, than if they had gotten half 
the world. * * * When Merlin had ordained the 
Round Table, he said, by them that should be fellows 
of the Round Table the truth of the Sancgreal shall 
be well known. ' ' 

Malory : Le Morte Darthur. 



" Some men yet say in many parts of England 
that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will 
of our Lord Jesu into another place. And men say 
that he shall come again, and win the holy cross. 
* * * Many say that there is written upon his 
tomb this verse: 

HIC JACET ARTHURUS REX QUONDAM 
REXQUE FUTURUS." 

Malory : Le Morte Darthur. 

13 




Oakwild 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



The Order of the Knights of King 
Arthur 



THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER 

It was a snowy afternoon in midwinter, the 10th 
of February, 1893, that a Congregational pastor in 
the village of Riverside, Rhode Island, gathered 
twenty boys in a little chamber in his home, to or- 
ganize a society which he had decided to call the 
Knights of King Arthur. 

These boys were exposed to rather unusual temp- 
tations in this summer-resort town, yet they had the 
same jolly, friendly spirits that all boys have, and 
the pastor wanted to know them and help them. 

For some time there had been lurking in his mind 
the memory of a college fraternity to which he had 
belonged and whose ceremonials, based upon the 
customs of ancient knighthood, he had had a share 
in preparing. It occurred to him that something of 
the sort might suit these lads, who were tired of a 
rather stormy company of the Boys' Brigade. 

So he proposed the idea to them, and they received 
it with great enthusiasm and proceeded to work it 
out together. 

The part of the plan that seemed to appeal first 

15 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



to these husky fellows was that of having initiations, 
and it was not until they had nearly cracked the 
skull of one of their comrades while initiating him 
into the coal hole of the cellar that their leader fully 
realized what a responsibility he was undertaking. 
The initiatory ceremonies were promptly rewritten, 
and no one has ever heard of an accident since 
among the more than thirty thousand boys that have 
been admitted to the order. 

The boys at once began to decorate their castle 
hall with a handmade throne, roughly cut swords 
and spears of wood and placed in the centre a round 
table, which has ever since been the symbol of the 
fellowship of the order. There was a baby playing 
upon the floor about that time, whom they elected 
" mascot " of the society. He is now entering col- 
lege. The cook found some fault with the way her 
freshly-baked cookies vanished on Saturday after- 
noons, but the boys tried to explain to her that they 
could not hold " wassail " without them. 

The boys immediately began to develop, at least 
in embryo, some of the admirable traits for which 
chivalry stands and the club became so popular that 
some of the members had to sit on the window sills 
during conclaves. They even formed a junior castle, 
over which some of the older boys presided. 

When spring came they had so outgrown their 
quarters that they moved to the clean barn loft of 
the Sunday school superintendent, which with its 
lofty spaces became a fitting baronial hall as well as 
a good gymnasium. 

During the summer there was held an imitation of 
the Chicago World's Fair upon the parsonage lawn. 

16 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Different tents were marked "Japan," " England/ ' 
" Germany," etc., and appropriate goods were dis- 
played in each for sale. The boys of the Castle 
presided over " Iceland," the ice cream. During the 
afternoon some village boys who were not members 
of the Castle came past and carelessly slipped a 
few stones over upon the tent roofs. This was both 
provoking and dangerous, but the pastor hardly 
knew what to do about it. The village policeman 
was at the other end of the town, as he always was 
when wanted. The minister was not sure he could 
sprint fast enough to overtake the boys if he tried. 
Besides, he wanted to keep their friendship. At once 
the difficulty was solved for him in a most surprising 
way. The battle cry of the Knights was heard: 
" Knights of King Arthur to the rescue!" and a 
flying wedge went out of the parsonage gate that 
threw the foe into confusion. A few months before 
they themselves would have been the offenders. 

It was not many months before others began to 
hear about this Boys' Castle and wanted to organize 
also. The first, outside Eiverside, was in Pawtucket. 
From that time the growth of the order was slow 
but healthy. This slowness of growth was a good 
thing, for it gave an opportunity to slough off un- 
desirable features and to add good and helpful ones. 
The originator began to suspect that he had hold of 
a pretty big idea and he began to study psychology. 
He found that the idea of knighthood was one par- 
ticularly congenial to youth. In other parishes, suc- 
cessively in a village, a large town, a small city and 
a large city, he started castles and observed them 
carefully. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



After a time the founder of the order became so 
busy with the general movement of workers with 
boys that he cast about for a man who had the ability 
and the time to take the rapidly increasing load of 
organizing and counselling the castles upon his shoul- 
ders. Such a man was found in the person of 
Frank Lincoln Masseck, then of North Attleboro, 
Mass., who had made a great success of two castles. 
Mr. Masseck and his wife have now for eight years 
given a great amount of valuable and unpaid effort 
to building up the order and nine-tenths of the 
castles have been organized under him in every part 
of the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, 
Jamaica and New Zealand. 

The order is now growing very rapidly, 367 castles 
having been organized during the past 365 days. At 
the date of writing over 1,300 have been established 
and about 35,000 boys are believed to have been mem- 
bers. In addition, several imitations of the order 
have been set agoing and have had some success, and 
a number of independent societies having the main 
features of our order have been established, without 
acknowledgment to their parent order. 

Although the framework of the order is a mon- 
archy, there is nothing dictatorial about its manage- 
ment. Each castle is independent in its plans and 
work. It is simply required that there be a competent 
adult leader and the consent of the church or organ- 
ization under whose shelter the castle is to meet. 
The order publishes, as in this manual, suggestions 
as to details, but each castle can alter them as it sees 
fit. Most castles have at least the custom of giving 
their members the names of heroes for castle use, 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

and all, it may be supposed, hold the chivalric ideals 
as their own. 

The order has never held an International Con- 
vention, because the leaders have felt that the mem- 
bership was too young to profit by long journeys, 
even if many of them could afford it. As the number 
of castles has increased, bringing more and more of 
them within short distances of each other, District or 
Provincial gatherings have been held, and already a 
number of these Provinces have been recognized by 
the appointment of a head with the title of Marquis. 
Within the Province, it is suggested that a smaller 
group may meet and organize as County Palatine, 
with a Viscount as leader. (See chapter IV.) There 
is no intention to push this federated feature. But 
wherever groups desire to co-operate in this way the 
international officers will be glad to assist in every 
possible manner. 

The material for castle use has always been pub- 
lished and manufactured at the financial risk of the 
two men who were guiding the order. At times dif- 
ferent juvenile magazines have been used for the 
exchange of castle news. The magazines Work 
With Boys and King Arthur's Herald are now used 
for that purpose, the former for Merlins, the latter 
for both Merlins and boys. 

The income of the order has never been large 
enough even to employ the full time of a stenogra- 
pher, but the accounts of the order are carefully 
audited each year. The work is now so great that 
castles are urged, though not obliged, to send in a 
small annual per capita gift, and it has long been 
the hope of the promoters that philanthropic in- 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



dividuals who see what an idea is accomplishing will 
endow the carrying out of the idea so that it may 
be done more adequately. 

The very success of the order is to-day its chief 
problem. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



II 



THE BOYS FOE WHOM THE ORDER IS 
INTENDED 

As was stated in the first chapter, when the first 
castle was organized the originator had little knowl- 
edge of the psychology of adolescence. It was then 
a new science. The Pedagogical Seminary, the mag- 
azine in whose pages most of the early papers upon 
this subject were published, had then only been es- 
tablished at Clark University for two years. One 
autumn evening, probably in the year 1898, Mr. 
Forbush was invited by President G. Stanley Hall 
to come over to the University and to read a.t the 
seminar which meets at his home every Monday, a 
paper, which the President had discovered he had 
been writing, upon " The Social Pedagogy of Boy- 
hood. " The author recognizes it to-day as a crude 
effort, although it was the first attempt to collect and 
to analyze the different kinds of boys' clubs, and it 
was the germ of the book, " The Boy Problem." 
Among the various things which were alluded to in 
this paper the only one which seemed to attract Dr. 
Hall's special attention was that of the Knights of 
King Arthur. He exclaimed at the time: ''It is 
excellent! It is one of the best things of which I 
have heard, ' ' and he remarked upon it as being more 
closely adapted to certain stages of child develop- 
ment than any other plan of which he had any 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



In his great book on " Adolescence " (pp. I, 532, 
II, 429, 430, 442-445) Dr. Hall refers again and again 
both to the knightly period in boy life and also par- 
ticularly to this order. The theory upon which these 
words of appreciation were spoken is the now familiar 
one that children in their progressive development 
reproduce in a general way the race life. They pass 
at the dawn of adolescence out of an era which cor- 
responds to that of the out-door, predatory life of 
the tribal systems up to a period which has many 
resemblances, in its delight in fellowship, its exultance 
in tests of strength, its romantic and imaginative 
instincts and its yearning for heroism, to the age of 
chivalry. It is the time when, as Joseph Lee sug- 
gests, the boy is growing up from the standards of 
Launcelot, the chivalrous individual, to that of Ar- 
thur, the loyal king. It is the season when, just as 
the young page in the mediaeval days was placed in 
charge of an esquire but a few years older and then 
sent to the neighboring knight's castle to learn 
knightly ideals so the boys of to-day need the con- 
tact of chivalrous young men as leaders to make 
them courtly and noble. 

President Hall therefore says that " the spirit of 
the pure chivalry of King Arthur and the Knights of 
the Round Table affords perhaps the very best ideals 
for youth to be found in history," and again, " The 
value of this material makes it almost biblical for the 
early and middle teens. It teaches the highest rev- 
erence for womanhood, piety, valor, loyalty, courtesy, 
munificence, justice and obedience. Here we find the 
origin of most of the modern ideals of the gentleman, 
who is tender, generous and helpful, as well as brave. 

22 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

# # # They shape and direct fear, love, pity, anger 
essentially aright. This material stirs those snbtle 
perceptions, where deep truths sleep in the youthful 
soul before they come to full consciousness * * *. 
This material educates the heart at an age when sen- 
timent is predominant. It stimulates what the 
French praise in gloire and the Germans in Gemuth. 
It is the best expression of the adolescent stage of 
our race * * *. This spirit is organized in and 
its fitness shown in the growth and success of the 
Knights of King Arthur, an unique order of Chris- 
tian knighthood for boys. ' ' 

There is need to appeal only to the memories and 
observations of our readers to confirm this conception 
of adolescence, summed up once by Dean Stanley 
when he said: " Chivalry is the very religion of 
school boys." The period of adolescence is one of 
strong, though repressed sentiment and emotion. Be- 
ing a time of change, it is marked by a restless, roam- 
ing disposition, so that the lad seems to be forever 
on a quest. The gang spirit now comes to its fullest 
development and each lad is bound by the public 
spirit of the group by stronger ties of subservience 
than were ever signified by mediaeval oaths of fealty. 
Loyalty, which as Miss Jane Addams has pointed 
out, is nowhere near so fine a thing as companionship, 
is the code of the period, and the highest yet possible. 
The centre of the gang and the visible moral ideal 
of the individual is the hero, either the strongest 
member of the gang or a man outside it. Yet with 
all this crudeness of moral perception it is also the 
time of psychic crisis, the time when every lad is feel- 
ing deeply for the first time about religion, as a per- 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



sonal responsibility. Every lad now cherishes some 
of the finest though most impossible yearnings for 
personal achievement. This wild, generous and rude 
piety, as G. K. Chesterton says, " almost always 
expresses itself in a de-sire after a kind of vagabond 
beneficence, a desire to go through the world scatter- 
ing goodness like a capricious god." How minutely 
all this reflects the very spirit of ancient chivalry ! 

In studying the kind of a social organization that 
will fit this kind of a boy President Hall, evidently 
with our Knighthood in mind, goes on to specify 
details. " Every adolescent boy ought to belong to 
some club or society marked by as much secrecy as 
is compatible with safety. Something esoteric, mys- 
terious, a symbolic badge, countersign, a lodge and its 
equipment, and perhaps other things owned in com- 
mon, give a real basis for comradeship. This per- 
mits, too, the abandon of freedom in its yeasty stage, 
which is another deep factor of the social instinct. 
Innocent rioting vents the anarchistic instincts in 
ways least injurious to the community and makes 
docility and subordination more easy and natural in 
their turn. Such an organization * * * will 
probably have a ritual of initiation, with grades of 
apprenticeship in the novitiate, the lowest involving 
much subserviency, almost like that of a villein to a 
manorial court, and all perhaps symbolic of putting 
off the old isolated self by regeneration into a larger 
social existence. There will be intense consciousness 
of the machinery of organization, and perhaps, ritual, 
etc. If such a spontaneous organization of boys in the 
later teens has any inner work, it is not likely to be the 
direct promotion of piety or any form of outside 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

social service, but is most likely to be dramatic or 
musical, or next to this, to promote debate or decla- 
mation, and to cultivate a peculiar form of group 
honor, the best form of which for this age is the 
idealized court of King Arthur. In cultivating 
friendship intensely for a small circle, conscious of 
representing the corps to others, as gentlemen prac- 
ticing noblesse oblige, many academic youth would 
owe more to this circle than to the curriculum and 
faculty." 

It is not necessary to enlarge upon these strong 
statements, but there are a few others to be made 
which are partly foreshadowed in President Hall's 
words. 

The chivalric idea not only fits adolescence in gen- 
eral, but its working out in our order enables it to 
be adapted to each separate stage of the period. These 
stages are usually recognized as three, named by some 
as respectively, the impulsive, the sentimental and the 
reflective, by others as, the physical, the emotional 
and the intellectual, and by still others as, the stages 
of ferment, of crisis and of reconstruction. To these 
usually correspond three successive waves of religious 
interest. Now while it is not claimed that the three 
degrees of our Knighthood correspond wholly to these 
three periods, yet it is true that the rank of page 
stands for the level of obedience, that of esquire for 
the level of habit, that of knight for the level of 
ideal, the higher ranks for positive achievement, and 
that the emphasis in our order is progressively from 
the physical and impulsive through the emotional and 
sentimental up to the period, which knighthood itself 
typifies, of reflection and reconstruction. The order 

25 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



moves a little in advance of the boy, and always 
upward. 

Another very strong point in the moral influence 
of the order is that it influences the boy for good 
without his knowing it. This is the time, as every- 
body knows, of keen religious feeling, but it is also 
the time, as not everybody has the sense to remember, 
of deep reserve. The normal boy is in agony who is 
dealt with at this time by " personal workers " or 
who is asked to express his religious feeling vocally. 
In this society religion is so unobtrusive that it can- 
not offend, but it is so integral that it cannot be 
ignored. It appeals to boys quietly and constantly 
on the side of their group spirit and their common 
idealism without trespassing upon their reserve or 
making them unduly introspective. 

This appeal is the more natural in that it includes 
a recognition of the boy's sense of humor. To pose 
as a mediaeval knight would not strike every boy as 
in accord with his age and dignity, were there not a 
comic element in the early initiations. The humor, 
activity and wholesomeness are so pervasive that 
there is no opportunity for piosity to show itself. 

So the order both interprets and elevates the nat- 
ural standards of the period. It forms an antidote 
to the ideals of the " gang " by making boys knights 
instead of banditti or mock frontiersmen. The boy 
receives both the companionship of other lads of his 
own age and older and of young men who are chival- 
rously willing to be of service to him. In these fel- 
lowships he becomes not the " fag " of the English 
school nor the victim of the American " gang," but 
the younger brother of lads of principle and ambition. 

26 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

The appeal to the group spirit, which religious 
workers recognize whenever they conduct a revival, 
is more wholesomely made in a society like this, be- 
cause here it is a deeper appeal. It is the experience of 
many workers with groups of boys that, no matter 
how they guard their efforts and try to appeal to in- 
dividuals, the results show that even upon these 
highest levels boys move in groups, the stronger con- 
firming the weaker and the weak following the strong. 
At this time it seems to be deeply true that a boy alone 
is only half a boy. Now if these group decisions are 
made upon an appeal to feeling merely they are apt 
to be shallow and temporary in result, but when, as 
in the Knights, the boys move together from one 
grade to another and do deeds of kindness together, 
then their joint religion works itself out into action 
and the confirmation of resolve. 

For perhaps the strongest feature of the order is 
that the boys actually live out virtue together. Dr. 
Hall used the fine phrase, " gentlemen practising 
noblesse oblige." That just expresses it. The group 
spirit, which, unregulated, is lower in tone than the 
spirit of almost any member, is lifted by the ideals 
of the order higher than that of any individual, and 
the individual feels that he is one of exalted privi- 
lege, devoted in the bonds of mutual friendship to 
the service of mankind. The order gives that romance 
to life which is craved at this era and yet also the 
immediate opportunities to make it into realities. The 
boy calls himself knight, prince. Well, he must start 
out and be one. This idealizing of one's possibilities, 
steadied by the constant insistence on mutual and 
minute obligations, gives a self -trust that is whole- 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



some, corrects some of the repressions of a false edu- 
cation and, with the highest summits of the order 
always looming a little ahead, prevents that priggish- 
ness and self-sufficiency characteristic of some other 
methods. 

Modern psychology's emphasis upon the impor- 
tance of muscular exercise as the will-developer is met 
in the order by the intensely active, varied and useful 
life of the castle. Repression now is the one thing 
which, at home and elsewhere, boys of this age chafe 
under. The word they most dislike is " Don't !" In 
our order the appeal is rather that of ' ' the expulsive 
power of a new affection," the positive and active 
good filling the life to the exclusion of evil. In 
achieving this the castle has for a short time a power 
which even the home probably does not possess. 

All boys do not respond to all these considerations, 
but every boy who enters a castle that has a wise and 
devoted leader may become exposed to all these 
influences. 

The question may be asked here whether the order 
is not confined in its applicability to boys of an in- 
tellectual frame of mind, those, for instance, who 
are interested in reading and who have good homes. 
If it be true that all boys are passing at some time 
through the mediaeval period, it is evident that no 
such limitation exists. The Arthur legends are so 
simple that they can be told to the most restless boys, 
and President Hall urges that all public school teach- 
ers become ' ' bards of these heroic tales. ' ' Successful 
castles have been conducted among lumber-camp boys, 
mining boys and street boys, and it is the belief of 
the authors that results depend more upon the ability 

28 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

of the adult leader than upon any differences of ap- 
preciation among different classes of boys. 

In later chapters remarks will be made upon the 
way in which the order teaches the special virtues of 
obedience, courage, purity, temperance, reverence and 
Christian confession. 

As to the original significance of the Round Table, 
Malory states that it was so made in token of the 
roundness of the world and because all the world 
desired to join it. Professor Mott in his monograph 
upon the subject traces Arthur himself back as a field 
divinity and relates his Table with the druidical circles. 
The association of the numbers twelve and twenty- 
four with the Table indicate that the legendists believe 
Arthur got his suggestion from the apostolate of our 
Lord. But the most cogent reason yet given for the 
roundness of the table is that at a round table there 
is no head, and so there can be no jealousy. Thus 
we have, in a democracy under leadership, the ideal 
form of organization for boys. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



III 
THE PLAN OF THE ORDER 

After this elaborate introduction it may surprise 
the reader to learn that he is about to be introduced 
to a society which is in its essence one of the simplest 
that was ever devised, although capable of being 
worked out into a variety of amplifications. 

Wherever an adult leader gathers a group of boys, 
large or small, and organizes them to reproduce the 
ideals and virtues of Christian knighthood and en- 
rolls in our order, there is a castle of the Knights of 
King Arthur. He does not need to use any of our 
forms or ceremonials, to have any degrees or initia- 
tions, to award any honors or to spend any more 
money ; he has the workable minimum of a castle. In 
the next chapter the conduct of such a castle in its 
simplest form is described. 

Castles, no matter how simple their form, should 
be organized with great thoughtfulness, and pastors 
should be slow to accept organizations which have no 
guarantee of leadership and permanence. Those who 
intend to be leaders should be sure that they will have 
patience, time and helpers sufficient to give our plan 
a fair trial. Even an excellent idea will not run 
itself, will not live a day without a leader, will require 
trouble, toil and pains to be of real value. 

At the outset, the wise leader will wish to be in- 
formed as to the ideals, the legends and the customs 
of the age of which a castle is an echo. Such a simple 
book as Frances Nimmo Greene's " King Arthur and 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

His Court/ ' which is also suitable to read to the 
boys, or Harding's " The Story of the Middle Ages " 
will be helpful. Many others are mentioned in the 
bibliography that follows. It is upon the more spirit- 
ualized version of Tennyson's " Idylls of the King " 
rather than upon the cruder earlier versions that the 
ceremonials of the order have been built. This poem 
is of course accessible to all. 

The plan of the order is, by use of a form for 
meeting imitative of a conclave of knights at King 
Arthur's Round Table, by progressive degrees of 
honor corresponding to the three degrees of chivalry, 
and by " quests " and " tournaments " suggestive, 
as far as boys can imitate them, of the work and play 
of an old time castle, to furnish the outline of a non- 
secret boys' fraternity which each local leader can 
develop in his own way. The order furnishes here- 
with enough material to keep any castle thoroughly 
busy, yet if any leader has special plans, in the way 
of handicraft, drill, work or play, by using part of 
our forms he will have time for both. A castle, for 
example, may be made the boys' branch of a Junior 
Endeavor Society, the special club in the Boys' De- 
partment of a Y. M. C. A., an adjunct to a Boys' 
Brigade, and such combinations are constantly being 
made. 

The characteristic and unique ideas of the order 
are seven in number. Many others are used to sup- 
plement these. 

1. The Merlin. 

The most important thing in any boys' club is the 
leader. The office of Merlin, suggested by that coun- 
sellor to Arthur of uncounted winters, gives the op- 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



portunity for the wise leader to offer the castle the 
maximum amount of help and advice with the mini- 
mum amount of dictation. Seated close to the throne 
and made a member of all committees, he has a 
peculiarly confidential relation to the leaders of the 
club. 

The qualifications of a Merlin are the same as those 
of any good boys' club director. Women, as well as 
men, have been splendid conductors of castles. Our 
oldest and our strongest castles are to-day each lead by 
women. Sometimes a woman leader takes the title 
of " Lady of the Lake." 

2. Rotation of Office. 

Jealousy is a proverbial vice in boys' clubs. To 
avoid this and to give all the boys experience in par- 
liamentary procedure and in leadership, it is custo- 
mary, though not obligatory, to have the throne of 
the King and all the minor offices, except that of 
Seneschal and two fixed committees, given to the 
members in turn for a month's occupancy. The two 
fixed committeeships are also opened to frequent elec- 
tion. This avoids cliques and makes the club work 
more harmonious and efficient. 

3. The Use of Heroic Names. 

Each boy, on becoming a member, assumes the name 
of a hero, knightly or modern, as his own, and is 
known by that solely in the castle. This identification 
of the boys with the characters of the greatest and 
best men of history has a quiet, constant and profound 
influence on their character, and is the strongest and 
most characteristic feature of the order. Castles who 
accept no other of our plans are urged to make use of 
this one. 

32 




Rockrift Castle, 805, Milford, N 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

The castle itself is usually named for some place 
where brave deeds have been done. (See also chap- 
ter IV.) 

4. The Degree System. 

The three degrees are open, not to purchase or pull, 
but to achievement. Each member can go as far up 
in the order as he wants to, that is, as he is willing to 
earn his way. 

The degree of Page, representing the servitude of 
the old-time castle, is regarded as a temporary posi- 
tion, though some members never rise beyond it. The 
watchwords of this degree are watchfulness, obedience 
and service. These virtues are admirably illustrated 
in the initiation to the degree and are impressed by 
later developments. In some castles Pages are not 
allowed to vote. In others they sit at the feet of the 
Knights, as in the ancient castles. Each member, no 
matter how sure of his own ability, must remain as a 
Page six months on probation. ( See also chapter VII. ) 

The degree of Esquire represents preparation for 
knighthood. Its virtues are purity, temperance and 
reverence, the typical virtues of chivalry. To become 
an Esquire it is desirable that each boy should be 
able to tell the biography of the hero for whom he 
is named and it is customary, during the initiation 
which impresses the value of those virtues, to ask him 
to assume a triple vow of purity, temperance and 
reverence. This vow is usually not a life-long pledge, 
but a secret compact, drawn up by the boy and known 
only to him and his Merlin. It is not something im- 
posed by another. It is an ideal that the boy sets for 
himself. (See also chapter VIII.) 

The degree of Knight represents the highest ideals 

33 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



of Christian knighthood. After having become a 
church member, the ceremony of knighting, performed 
with every possible accompaniment of solemnity and 
in strict conformity to the ancient forms, satisfies the 
boy with its imaginative and ennobling ceremonial. It 
is, if possible, to be followed, as of old, by giving the 
young Knight a quest. (See also chapter IX.) 

While the influence of the degrees is ever upward 
to the highest, an Esquire has all the privileges of 
the order, while even a boy who is already a church 
member cannot be elevated to knighthood without 
serving his probation and passing through the in- 
termediary degrees. 

The adoption of these exact requirements for the 
different degrees is not obligatory. Castles under 
other than church or Christian auspices have used 
others, and some castles have but one degree, while 
others have several more, to be won by some pre- 
arranged scheme of " points. " 

A number of castles have been organized in public 
and private schools where no conditions as to church 
membership could be used. But the ideal of knight- 
hood remained high, and the influence upon the boys 
and upon the schools has been recognized as in- 
valuable. (See chapter XVII.) In union castles, as 
in the Y. M. C. A., there can be no discrimination 
between denominations. One must be recognized as 
good as another— the Catholic or Jew as genuine 
as the Protestant. 

5. The Siege Perilous. 

There was always an empty seat beside King Ar- 
thur's throne. It represented the seat at the Lord's 
table which the false Judas lost, and it was reserved 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

for a peerless knight who was to come. Galahad came 
to fill it. In the modern castle this symbolic seat is 
always standing beside the castle throne. It sug- 
gests to each knight possible heroism and achievement. 
Whenever it seems to the rest of the castle that any 
member has deserved the privilege by achievement 
physical, mental or heroic, he may, by their unani- 
mous suggestion, be elevated to the Siege Perilous 
for a single evening, as Sir Galahad. His deeds are 
engrossed on the Castle Records and for the rest of 
his life he is a Baronet. 

This has been a most wholesome feature of castle 
life, this spontaneous appreciation of attainment, and 
in several instances real heroism, even unto life-sav- 
ing, has been thus recognized. (See also chapter X.) 

6. The Peerage. 

A graduated scale of tests applicable to every kind 
of effort and reasonable in severity, will, when met, 
give those who try for them successive ranks of 
nobility in the international order. These, anoma- 
lously, are independent of the three degrees, but it 
usually turns out that they are appreciated more by 
the boy who wins them than by the rest of the castle, 
while a boy 's real standing in the castle, as elsewhere, 
depends on what he is. They are stimulants, how- 
ever, in this period of life, to better things. (See also 
chapter XL) 

7. The Liturgy. 

It remains to mention, as the last unique feature, 
all the forms and ceremonials under which the pre- 
viously mentioned plans are conducted. It is be- 
lieved that, based as they are on historic models, 
evolved as they have been from experience and worked 

35 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



out by many people of fine taste, they are of great 
refining and sweetening power to the crude natures 
of boys. The appeal to the dramatic instinct, one of 
the most lively but neglected factors in a boy's life 
at this period, is thoroughly satisfying. In the cas- 
tle music, art and literature have each their oppor- 
tunity with the boy, while still the liveliest physical 
exercise, varied handicraft, and innocent fun each 
have their full place. The liturgy grows rather than 
weakens in effectiveness as the boys elaborate their 
apparatus for exemplifying it and as individuals pass 
from the humorous forms of the two earlier degrees 
to the solemnities of the third. Amplifications or 
simplifications of the forms by local castles are always 
encouraged. 

Life itself gets a finer and nobler meaning to boys 
who are in what is a rather moody age, as it is 
dignified with chivalric glamor. Games are " tourna- 
ments," tasks hard and disagreeable become 
" quests " and human people, men and women, are 
brother knights and comrades or fair ladies to be 
reverenced and served. 

Aside from the uniqueness of the special features of 
the order mentioned above, there are four great, uni- 
versal means of influence. 

The first is Personality. The strongest influence 
in the castle will be that of the Merlin, who by his 
own inculcation and exemplification of knightly vir- 
tues will uplift all the boys. It is certainly a test of 
a man's strength to lead a castle, for the infirmities 
of his own character are bound to be exposed, while, 
when mere devices fail, his own sincerity and affec- 
tion for the boys will bring the most encouraging 

36 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

results. If the castle is connected with a church, the 
earnest endeavor should be made to strengthen the 
influence of the pastor, the church service, the Sunday 
school, and the good men and women of the church. 
It is a tribute to the conscientiousness and the wis- 
dom of our American pastors that the majority of 
our church castles are led by the pastor of the church 
in person. Ministers of our largest churches have 
felt that the natural and intimate relations with 
their boys in these fraternal bonds were both an op- 
portunity and a privilege. 

The castle plan is intended to be ever in closest 
sympathy with the home. Some parents will not 
understand at first what is being attempted, others 
will be indifferent. The parents should be con- 
sulted in the beginning. An early opportunity 
should be afforded them to attend a regular or 
special conclave. The hour of meeting should not 
interfere with home work. If in the evening, the 
session should close very early. Seven to eight is 
a good time. Much of the castle writing and handi- 
craft is intended to be done at home. At least 
once a year some exhibition should be given to show 
the public the purposes and results of the work. 

The co-operation of the school should be encouraged. 
Some castles restrict their membership to school boys. 
Others get the writing of the biographies done as 
school themes. It is believed that where castles are 
introduced among boys of the eighth grade, they 
counteract the unfortunate influence of the secret, un- 
American high school fraternity. 

By no personalities are the boys more influenced 
than by each other. In every group there are one or 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



more key-boys. The plan of the order gives an op- 
portunity to inoculate these leaders with chivalric 
ideals and to set them unconsciously to helping their 
fellows. 

The second influence is that of the Ideal of Hero- 
ism, or Chivalry. It will be shown in later chapters in 
how manifold ways this influence may be exerted, but 
the principal thing to say here is that this influence, 
which is the characteristic one of the order, is ex- 
erted chiefly by the idea which it gives a boy of him- 
self. It is not an exaggeration to say that there was 
once a time, reflected still in some of our theological 
literature and hymns, when men seemed to take con- 
siderable satisfaction in regarding themselves as 
" worms of the dust." This view of humanity was 
certainly never a congenial one to boys. While humil- 
ity is a desirable virtue and while during the process 
of conversion any right-minded boy may be convinced 
of his many shortcomings, this view of self is not 
one that it is possible or wholesome to maintain as 
a permanent frame of mind. The castle distinctly 
and from the start sets before the boy this ideal: 
You are a member of the nobility ; you are preparing 
to rule; you have the privileges and the responsi- 
bilities of a knight; you are too good for this low 
indulgence, for that debased idea of virtue. As we 
shall show later, this conception of one's self is prob- 
ably the strongest stay to morality, and especially 
to a right relation between the sexes, that exists. 
This thought of self-respect, held mutually, it goes 
without saying, will do for the group what it does 
for the individual, give it a sense of dignity and re- 

38 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

sponsibility that will make the worse manifestations 
of the gang-spirit impossible. 

The third means of influence is Handicraft. The 
order has never offered elaborate paraphernalia for 
sale, because it has been believed that the effect of 
making it themselves would be an important help 
to the boys in will power and force of character, be- 
sides being an attractive way of filling the time at 
castle conclaves. 

The fourth means of influence is Out-of-doors, God 's 
own country for boys. The leaders of the movement 
have become persuaded that the summer rather than 
the winter is the golden age for dealing with boys. 
The castle should have ' ' Quests, ' ' tramps for nature 
study, visits to historic sites and industrial plants, 
and for good fellowship. They should have " Tour- 
naments," field contests with each other and with 
other castles and other groups of boys. They should 
have " Pilgrimages," hiking trips. They should — 
best of all — have a week in tents together and with 
their Merlin, where the sweet intercourse with nature 
and the sharing of hardship will do more for them 
all than the weekly meetings indoors for a whole 
winter. 

As to methods to be used other than those peculiar 
to the order, local needs will decide. The reports 
that have come in from castles show that they have 
adopted the good features of all sorts of boys' clubs, 
and it is intended that they shall. The castle plan 
is the framework only, it attracts instant approval 
and constant loyalty, it is in itself educative, but it 
also gives room for the use of every conceivable help- 

39 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



ful device. The flexibility of the idea has been one 
of its most useful features. 

Before Beginning 

Ask 1. How much time can I regularly give to 
this work? 

2. Upon whom can I rely to help me? 

3. About how many boys can I handle? 

4. What age had I better seek for? 

5. What do the boys in my neighborhood most 
need? 

6. How much money shall I need? 

7. How about the meeting place? 

8. What am I trying to do? 

9. How shall I secure the sympathy of the parents 
of the boys? 

10. How shall I secure the sympathy of the church? 



<0 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



IV 



HOW TO CONDUCT A CASTLE 

I— The Simplest Form 

Any Sunday school class, boys' club or group of 
boys may be organized into a castle by fulfilling the 
following three conditions: 

1. Enrollment in the order. 

2. Choice of an adult leader, or Merlin. 

3. Taking the names of heroes and the castle idea. 
Such a club may go on carrying out its own plans 

or gradually adding any or all of those suggested in 
this hand-book. If the club is small or the leader is 
timid about undertaking what seem like formidable 
plans, let him simply tell the boys the King Arthur 
legends in turn and encourage them to master a 
simple account of their own knightly biographies. 
Some of our strongest castles have grown up from 
this thorough preliminary work. 

It may be asked, Why, in such a simple plan, en- 
roll in the order ? Answer : First, it is honest to do it ; 
second, the fellowship of correspondence with and 
knowledge of the order and of other castles is most 
helpful ; third, you cannot tell how strong your castle 
may become or how honorable a partner in the order 
it may be. 

If the Merlin does not know what to do in his 
castle, let him look through the latter part of this 
chapter and the one on " Suggestive Methods " and 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



pick out just oue thing and do that well, and then 
take another. He will not have to look long. There 
is just one needed thing which he can always depend 
upon the boys to furnish— and that is enthusiasm. 

Among the special features of the order, the first 
one for a simple castle to try would naturally be the 
conclave. It is perfectly easy to manage the Round 
Table arrangement for the smallest castle by a re- 
duction of the number of functionaries to two, viz, 
the King and the Merlin. The circular arrangement 
is both symbolic and social. The castle thus resolves 
itself into a delightful fire-light club, exalted into a 
purpose by the chivalric idea. A Merlin will often get 
nearer to a few boys and accomplish more good in 
such a circle than is done in a big and noisy castle. 

If a Constitution is needed, sections I, II, IV sim- 
plified, VI, VII, VIII simplified, XVII, XVIII of the 
Model Constitution will be serviceable. 

If initiations are not attempted, still the require- 
ments for the three degrees can be met and the mem- 
bers advanced to them, simply upon accepting the 
obligations. The peerage can be attained in a similar 
way. 

Even if no handicraft is tried, the inexpensive 
celluloid badge will give a wholesome castle 
consciousness. 

The experience of most castles that organize in the 
simplest form is that they soon try some of the elab- 
orations, and find none of them very difficult. 

If the difficulty in organizing the castle is the ex- 
pense, this need be no hindrance, because the total 
necessary cost for a year is the price of this book, 
and the charter and enrollment. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

The County Palatine 

An excellent plan for developing class spirit and 
Sunday school spirit is to organize several boys' 
classes as castles in the simplest form and then fed- 
erate all the school castles into one organization meet- 
ing occasionally for more elaborate ceremonies. The 
conferring of knighthood, for example, and of the 
peerage is reserved for these larger assemblies. For 
a federation of church or city castles we suggest the 
name of a " County Palatine," an ancient name 
(comites palatii) for associated mediaeval castles. 
The head of these would be a Viscount with the title 
" Count of ." (See also the sug- 
gestion about " The Consistory " in chapter XIV.) 

II— The Usual Form 

Having studied carefully this manual and mastered 
the outline of the King Arthur legend and secured 
the consent of the church and the parents of the boys, 
the leader calls the boys together and explains what 
he proposes to do. 

The boys who are to be invited to join should all 
be of about the same age. It is also desirable that 
they should be of the same neighborhood and social 
condition. The best age for introducing these meth- 
ods seem to be a little before fourteen; but as it is 
important to organize boys before this age, it is rec- 
ommended that younger boys be gathered into one 
of the societies described in chapter XIX, XX or 
XXI. 

It is well to tell only a few things first, always 
having something in reserve for a surprise and 
novelty. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



At the first meeting explain the King Arthur 
legend carefully and with as attractive a presentation 
as possible. Then tell the story of the order, and 
state its aims, condensing chapters I and III for the 
purpose. Do not tell about anything beyond the first 
degree. If you wish, read, as a message to the castle 
from the founder of the order, the " Message to 
Boys ' ' at the beginning of this book. 

Next explain carefully each section of the Con- 
stitution. Let the boys vote to organize and to adopt 
the Constitution as amended by yourself. Announce 
the following officers whom you have previously se- 
lected with care: Kay, the Seneschal, the most trust- 
worthy boy of them all, to be your assistant, three 
of the older boys for Chancellors, seven of the best 
behaved boys for Chamberlains— these all for six 
months— and one for King at the next meeting. 

While the boys will naturally look forward to the 
initiations into the first degree with eagerness, this 
initiation is by no means one of the first things to 
undertake. At the second meeting of the castle it is 
desirable to begin the holding of dignified conclaves, 
as the regular business meetings are called. The con- 
clave is the constant and visible emblem of castle life 
and is the unifying bond of the whole society. The 
detailed suggestions as to conclaves will be found in 
the chapter entitled " The Conclave," to which the 
reader is asked to turn. 

If the boys are rather young or backward, the 
leader may for a time simply give them their castle 
names and conduct the club informally until he 
thinks they are ready to settle down for a formal 
conclave. The formal institution of the castle should 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

be done, if possible, by some neighboring castle, one 
boy being selected by lot to be initiated in behalf of 
all the rest, the others also taking the obligations. 
(See the chapter on this subject, XIII.) 

It may be added here that the success of the castle 
will be almost doubled if there is another castle near 
by with which to emulate. It is the custom of the 
International King to inform all new castles upon 
organization of the location of neighboring castles. 
If there are several castles in the near vicinity, 
it is desirable to have an occasional meeting for con- 
ference, and to organize some activities in common. 

The principal officers of a castle are the King, the 
Merlin, Kay, the Chancellors and the Chamberlains. 
In some castles it is well for the adult leader to ap- 
point the first officers, so as to be sure that the club 
will be led competently, but where a castle has had 
some previous organization or contains boys of abil- 
ity or parliamentary experience, the selection may be 
trusted to an election. It is generally best to have all 
terms df office, except that of Merlin and Kay, short. 
In order to avoid jealousy and to give each of the 
boys experience, it has been the custom of many years' 
successful experiment to have the chair of King filled 
by each of the older boys in terms of a month each. 
But some castles elect to this office for a more ex- 
tended term. The duties of the officers are explained 
in the Model Constitution and the arrangement of 
their positions in the hall is shown in the chapter on 
" The Conclave." 

The Constitution which the leader thinks best 
adapted to his own boys should be presented by him 
to them at the first meeting. The suggestion seems 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



wise that trial be made of it before it be very ex- 
tensively amended. What has worked well elsewhere 
is quite likely to fit the local situation. 

It is an anomalous but necessary situation that the 
boys should act in the castle as if they had the author- 
ity of Knights before they are even initiated as 
Pages. But what works out is this : there is a democ- 
racy of privilege and a growing aristocracy of ideal. 
Everything offered is held as a privilege. The num- 
ber of members is limited at the very beginning; the 
impression is spread abroad that it is a hard society 
to get into ; the use of grips and signals deepens that 
impression among the members; the initiation to the 
rank even of Page is not given until the Chamberlains 
are ready to give it in a worthy fashion ; no boy can 
become an Esquire until he has been six months a 
member and has passed other requirements, including 
the special vow of the degree; no boy can become a 
Knight until after he has become a church member; 
the higher ranks are open even to Pages, but only as 
the reward of diligent but reasonable endeavor. 

Everywhere in the castle the boy should get what he 
deserves. If he will not learn his part, he should 
not be allowed to hold his position. In some castles, 
there is a Council of the Peers who affix " brands," 
which are the opposite to honors, for certain dere- 
lictions. 

Boys are usually enthusiastically impressed with 
the first description of our order. They like the nov- 
elty, vision of parade, regalia, initiation, and the 
fact that it is a " club," but a better one than they 
would have thought of themselves. The newness 
wears off after they are asked to learn their parts 

46 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

and are required to perform them with decorum. But 
when this era is safely past they are ready for 
business. 

It will simplify the work very much if the Merlin 
plans out the whole season tentatively in advance, 
instead of coming up to each conclave extemporane- 
ously. By holding each officer and committee to its 
duty it will not only be easier for the Merlin but 
better for the boys. Make the King responsible for 
conducting the conclave and mastering the parlia- 
mentary details, have Kay the Seneschal keep most 
of the records and the accounts, try to have the Con- 
stable attend to order in the conclave. Especially 
hold the two committees up to their duties. The 
Chancellors are the Executive Committee and should 
meet before every conclave and be especially responsi- 
ble to plan, under the Merlin's direction, some in- 
teresting program at the point where they are called 
upon to report. When the boys begin to clamor for 
an initiation, remind them that it cannot be had 
until the Chamberlains have learned and rehearsed 
their parts. 

What is to be done when the Constable is unable 
to maintain order? Any club of boys of fourteen 
can be kept in order, if two things are done: 1st, 
have meetings interesting enough to deserve order, 
and, 2nd, mass the public sentiment of the boys 
against the offender. This last may usually be done 
by having certain simple rules as to behavior made a 
part of the By-Laws, and bringing the offender be- 
fore a jury trial with power to convict and punish. 

What does a castle actually do? At first the elab- 
oration of the conclave, the preparations for the first 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



initiation and the making of simple sashes or badges, 
will fill the whole time. Boys will do a good deal of 
business on a very small capita". After this will 
come the time to introduce the leader's own special 
plans. It would be an unusual company of American 
boys that could meet for one month without finding 
something worth while to do. Still there is enough, 
both educative and instructive, in the King Arthur 
plans alone, to fill an entire winter. 

A plan, introducing nothing but King Arthur mate- 
rial, would work out something like this, in a sample 
month's program: 

First Week 

Conclave (in all, 15 minutes). 

Business (10 minutes). 

One Page's biography (5 minutes). 

King Arthur story told or read by Merlin (30 
minutes). 

Second Week 

First three, as before. 

Handicraft on castle paraphernalia (40 minutes). 

Third Week 

First three, as before. 

Rehearsal for King Arthur play, " The First 
Quest." 

Fourth Week 

Conclave '(in all, 15 minutes). 

Initiation (35 minutes). 

Social exercises (10 minutes). 

As to the time and frequency of meeting, the gen- 
eral experience is, that an hour early some evening 

48 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

(perhaps Monday or Friday), weekly, is best. A 
short session leaves the boys eager for more and a 
weekly one sustains the interest and promotes regu- 
larity. Some castles meet fortnightly and some 
monthly. In some instances the boys are members of 
some other society, like a Christian Endeavor Society 
and meet in the capacity of a castle, monthly, by 
themselves. 

Any boys' club seems to prosper better if it brings 
its winter to a climax by a public exhibition of some 
sort. The preparations for this keep up the attend- 
ance and interest for a long time. Suggestions are 
given in chapter XIV. 

All through the season make the initiation sub- 
sidiary to other things. Show the boys that they will 
tire of it if it is given too often. To give it at all 
they must strive to bring in new members. Accom- 
pany each degree with moral training, orderly pro- 
cessionals, singing, and every careful detail your 
ingenuity can suggest. Make the boys learn their 
parts. 

Watch the development of your boys. Emphasize 
the study of noble deeds. When you note a really 
worthy achievement in athletics, study or manliness 
seat the lad on the Siege Perilous. 

Seek the earliest opportunity to show the parents 
and leaders in the church what you are trying to do 
by inviting them to a particularly interesting con- 
clave. 

When spring comes, adjourn while the interest is 
strong or else plan for a spring athletic " Tourna- 
ment," " Quest," " Pilgrimage " and a summer 

49 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



camp. Resume indoor meetings as soon as it gets 
cold on the street corners. 

When a castle has been organized in the fall, a 
Merlin may hope by spring to have brought the ma- 
jority of his boys to the higher standards expressed 
by Esquireship and perhaps have a few ready for 
the knighthood. He will start the second season with 
a compact body of boys bound into a good fellowship, 
capable of amalgamating the new elements that 
appear. 

The cost of a castle ought to be very moderate. It 
is a mistake to ask adults for money to conduct a 
castle. Small fees from the boys and one entertain- 
ment a year ought to provide money enough, and 
to spare. 

The order is non-secret. This hand-book contains 
all there is to the scheme. There have been castles 
having secret work, but the international officers do 
not encourage this. It is perfectly legitimate, as it 
is customary, to understand that, while all the cere- 
monies and castle work are open to parents and 
church officers, castle matters, as those of a family, 
are kept private from boys who are not yet members. 

Special Castle Methods 
In developing the heroic influence in the castle the 
following methods are recommended : 

1. Reading aloud parts of the Reading Course (see 
chapter XI) in the castle. 

2. Having a castle Book of Heroes. Each boy in 
turn may be required to bring a portrait of a hero ; 
or pages for each day in the year may gradually be 
filled with the portraits of those whose birthdays oc- 

50 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

curred on those days or with accounts of brave deeds 
that were done in those days. 

3. A Boll of Noble Deeds may be compiled from 
the brave acts noted by the members by observation 
or in the newspapers, thus encouraging the habit of 
looking for such things. 

4. The Boll Call may be responded to each week 
by requiring some current event; if possible, a note 
of some worthy act. 

5. Honorary Members may be chosen from among 
the noblest men in the community or who visit the 
town, and they may be asked to address the castle. 

6. Pilgrimages. Boys may be sent two by two to 
historic sites and asked to report on their return. 

7. A Museum of historic relics and of autographs 
may be collected. 

8. The boys might buy a stereopticon and take im- 
aginary tours to places they cannot visit, the pictures 
of these places being thrown upon the screen while 
a boy gives a description or tells the history. In the 
darkness a boy will have more courage to do this than 
in the light. Pictures of heroes and scenes of history 
may be shown in this manner. 

As to methods to be used other than those peculiar 
to the order, the local needs of the boys must decide. 
Some of those which have been found useful are as 
follows: Collections of stamps, pictures or minerals, 
talks by sea captains or those who have traveled, the 
taking home of unknown objects to identify them, 
dividing the castle into two parties— named perhaps 
" White Rose " and " Red Rose "—who shall com- 
pete in furnishing the best program for a meeting, 
parliamentary practice, holding a mock trial or mock 

51 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



town meeting or election or inauguration of a na- 
tional president, giving a play or tableaux, panto- 
mime of " Hiawatha, " etc., with music, drills, etc., 
walks to homes at a distance and taking refreshments, 
castle group pictures taken each year, appointing 
boys as servitors to assist in younger boys' clubs, 
the round robin letter during separation in vacation, 
a summer camp with its quests and tourneys, etc. 
Besides these, all social games which may be played by 
a group of boys may be used, methods of other boys' 
clubs may be admitted or adopted and the castle 
affiliated with such other societies as the Brotherhood 
of Andrew and Philip or the Boys' Brigade, etc. A 
directory of such organizations for boys may be se- 
cured from headquarters for twenty-five cents. 

Ordinarily it is better for the boys to meet by 
themselves, but as they grow older an occasional 
ladies' night will be popular. 

This description of methods would not be complete 
without emphasizing the necessity of doing some- 
thing for someone else. The castle organization fur- 
nishes excellent opportunity for instruction in mis- 
sions and work in their behalf. The heroism of mis- 
sionary effort may be impressed by giving some of 
the boys names of missionary heroes and thus en- 
couraging the study of missionary biography. 

Besides this, missionary rallies may be given and 
charitable and social efforts may be made as 
" Quests." Men of achievement or philanthropic 
service introduced as speakers may be regarded as 
visiting knights and a missionary to whose support 
the boys give may be considered as a knight on a 
crusade in the dark lands. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



It is to be emphasized again that what a castle 
actually does is to be decided by its Merlin and mem- 
bers. We suggest an ideal and the outline of organ- 
ization. You do the rest. 



Castle Names 



The following are 
ing many of which 
Astolat. 
Aberdeen. 
Anglesea. 
Appledore. 
Avalon. 
Anderida. 
Almesbury. 
Badbury. 
Balmoral. 
Bamborough. 
Badon. 
Bromwich. 
Camelot. 
Campbell. 
Caerlyle. 
Canterbury. 
Cardiff. 
Chester. 
Coventry. 
Corfe. 

Edwinsburg. 
Of Excalibur. 
Ellandrine. 
Exeter. 
Galloway. 



ancient English names, concern- 
there is some history or legend: 

Glastonbury. 

Hereford. 

Hastings. 

Iona. 

Joyous Gard. 

Kenilworth. 

Kin Kenadon. 

London 

Of the Lake. 

Lincoln. 

Litchfield. 

Lyonesse. 

Montrose. 

Mona, 

Nottingham. 

Oxford. 

Perilous. 

Peterborough. 

Plymouth. 

Scrooby. 

Shalott. 

Salisbury. 

Stonehenge. 

Selwood Forest. 

St. Botolph. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Tyne. Windsor. 

Tintagel. Worcester. 

Winchester. York. 

" Caerleon " is reserved for headquarters. 

Some castles are named for Indian or other local 
names. A few that have been reported are: 



Christopher. 


Wessagussett. 


Falling Spring. 


Pottowatomie. 


Huguenot. 


Wachusett. 


Saginaw. 


Miantonomo. 


Samite. 


Shrewsbury. 


Shawmut. 


Menominee. 


Red Star. 


Winnemaug. 


Lone Star. 


Bear Hill. 


Euclid. 


Anthracite. 


Fort Stanwix. 


Cupertino. 


Green Mountain. 


Pequog. 


Red Rock. 


Deahoga. 


Ink-pa-du-ta. 


Youghiogheny. 


Others are named for great men, as: 


Washington. 


Lafayette. 


Lincoln. 


McKinley. 


Lee. 


Wesley. 


Sidney. 


Luther. 


Nelson. 


Roosevelt. 


Perry. 


Dewey. 


Phillips Brooks. 


Peel. 


Paul Revere. 


Longfellow. 


Faneuil. 


Burritt. 


Solomon. 


Ruskin. 


The naming of castles for living men, and especially 


for persons connected with the order, is discouraged. 




54 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



Names for Knights 
Some of the names in the Arthur legends with 
which stories are connected are: 



Bedivere. 

Brastias. 

Bleys. 

Balin. 

Balan. 

Bors. 

Ector. 

Gareth. 

Geraint. 

Gawain. 

Ironside. 

Launcelot. 

Lavaine. 

Lionel. 



Mador. 

Meliadus. 

Mortimer. 

Nigel. 

Palamedes. 

Pelleas. 

Pellenore. 

Percivale. 

Robert Strongheart. 

Sagramor. 

Tor. 

Tristram. 

Ulfius. 

Uwaine. 



The names Dubric, Kay and Galahad are reserved 
for certain castle officials. 





Saints 


Alban. 


Hubert. 


Brandon. 


Luke. 


Christopher. 


Martin. 


Eustace. 


Nicholas. 


Francis. 


Sylvester. 


George. 


Thomas of Canterbury. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Other heroes, ancient but not from the Arthur 
story, are: 

Alfred. Perseus. 

Bayard. Richard Coeur de Lion. 

Constantine. Roland. 

Christopher (Columbus) Siegfried. 

Edward the Confessor. Savonarola. 

Francis of Assisi. Tannhauser. 

Hector. Thor. 

Ivanhoe. Ulysses. 

Launfal. William the Silent. 

Luther. Wyclif. 

As the entire catalogue of modern heroes is avail- 
able, no further lists are necessary. Do not hesitate 
to use the names of those now living, such as Theo- 
dore Roosevelt, Edison, et al. 

Do not forget, in your search for names, the dis- 
coverers, the heroes of science and especially the 
adventurous missionaries, such as Livingston, Paton, 
Hamlin, James Chalmers, Hannington, and Grenfell. 

It is better to assign the boys their names, as they 
are more apt to be contented with them. Give them 
names of heroes, as far as possible, who had vir- 
tues they need to cultivate. Give the name Lance- 
lot to some boy whose chivalric side you desire to 
develop. Geraint is a good name for an impatient 
boy. Gareth is a good name for a boy who has a hard 
struggle. 

An excellent way is to lend each boy a great book 
and tell him to select the best character in it for his 
own. The unexpected interest in some hero of whom 

56 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

he knew nothing will have a permanent effect upon 
his life. 

After selecting a name encourage the boy to search 
for his hero's coat of arms for his banner. If he 
cannot find it, let him read up a little heraldry and 
devise something which he thinks appropriate to the 
character. 

An excellent exercise for conclaves is to require 
one Page each evening to learn and tell to the castle 
the story of the hero for whom he is named. Have 
it definitely understood that this must be done as 
soon as possible after initiation, and positively before 
advancement to Esquireship. This might be required 
in writing on uniform sheets of paper, to be filed in 
the archives of the castle, 



57 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



A MODEL CONSTITUTION 

(Portions not likely to be everywhere applicable are 
placed in brackets.) 

I. This Brotherhood is of the Order of the Knights, 
of King Arthur. We be Castle , No. . 

II. We be joined hand and heart to achieve Chris- 
tian Knightliness. 

III. Our brethren be of the age of and up- 
wards. [Of the Church of Christ we be all children 
and of some of its brotherhoods we be all brethren. 
He that is not of these is no longer of us.] Called are 
we by these names, according to our degree : 

1. Pages, who owe watchfulness, obedience and 
service. 

2. Esquires, who vow purity, temperance and 
reverence. 

3. Knights, who further covenant to serve their 
Master, the Church and this order as true Christian 
learning-Knights. 

4. [Only Esquires and Knights have franchise.] 

IV. Arthur is our King. He wieldeth Excalibur 
and ruleth at conclave. [For one month of conclaves 
one sitteth in the Pendragon seat and then another 
cometh. ] 

Merlin serveth us, and giveth us counsel. Kay, 
the Seneschal, keepeth our rolls and serveth Merlin. 
[Kay is chosen by Merlin for such season as it 

58 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

pleaseth him.] The Master of Exchequer careth for 
the coins of the realm. Dubric leadeth in Divine 
worship. Heralds twain be chosen from the Pages 
by Kay to serve him as long as he serveth. Sir 
Constable to keep order at the table and Sir Sen- 
tinel to guard the gate, be chosen by the King for 
his conclave. The King's Jester sitteth at the foot 
of his throne. 

V. Merlin chooseth (each six months). 

1. Chancellors three, to do our business when we 
fare homeward. 

2. Chamberlains seven, they who have been most 
orderly, to guide and guard at the bestowing of de- 
grees. 

3. Of these Merlin is also one, and so of any other 
council or embassage whom he or we shall choose. 

VI. The elders of the Brotherhood, fathers and 
mothers, have honor and may sit at the conclave with 
us, for our homes be our fortresses. Since that true 
chivalry honoreth womanhood, we may choose a Lady 
of the Lake and Queens of Avilion for our Patron 
Ladies. 

VII. What harmeth body, defileth tongue or doeth 
ill to mind cometh not to our conclave. 

VIII. By the names of King Arthur's ancient court 
and other lordly knights, we be named and called at 
conclave. 

IX. When a great deed of brawn or brain or 
knightliness hath been done by a^ brother, it shall be 
told to Merlin and by him to the King. Then if 
they think fit, the King shall rise and all the Brother- 
hood with him, an so be none dissenting, and the 
Siege Perilous shall be uncovered and the brother 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



shall be led thereto and so shall he sit beside the 
King. Then for that whole conclave shall he be 
hailed as Sir Galahad and all his life long thereafter 
he shall be a Baronet. 

X. Merlin may, if he find in the castle a knave or 
an idle or disorderly fellow, lay upon him suitable 
chastisement, or he may leave him to a trial by his 
peers. 

XI. Paynims who wish to join themselves to the 
court of King Arthur shall give their names to the 
Chancellors. If these favorably report, the castle 
shall give its vote concerning them, and if they are 
chosen they may appear at the castle gate in seven 
days. [A Paynim may choose whether he will un- 
dergo the ordeal of the degrees, but he shall in any 
case receive the vows.] 

XII. The granting of all degrees shall be in Mer- 
lin's presence under charge of the Chamberlains. If 
there is disorder, Merlin shall close the conclave for 
that day. Only one degree shall be given each day. 

XIII. Conclaves shall be held at Merlin's call, to 
be proclaimed by the Heralds. The Chancellors pro- 
vide us business or pleasure at conclave. 

We sit at the Table Round, the King at our head. 
At his right is the Siege Perilous, before him sits 
Merlin, at Merlin's left is Kay. At the right are the 
Chancellors in places of honor. At Merlin's left sits 
the Peerage. Sir Sentinel standeth at the gate. Sir 
Constable sitteth at the foot of the table. At the 
right and left sit the Heralds. 

XIV. He that forsaketh our fellowship must hon- 
orably give notice by word or writing to the castle. 

60 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

A new password shall be given each month by 
Merlin. Those who have not the password have no 
franchise until the next conclave. 

XV. For each degree each shall pay * * * 
coins of the realm * * * before he is admitted. 

Power of tax is ours. 

No monies be expended without our consent. 

XYI. One-fourth of us who have franchise may 
hold conclave on proclamation. 

XVII. This writing we may alter at any conclave 
after the alterations proposed have been read at two 
c©nclaves. 

XVIII. Our arms be a maltese cross argent upon a 
field gules. Our legend : * ' My sword shall be bathed 
in Heaven." 

Our rallying cry [local]. Our hand grasp: the 
clasping of hands and the pressure twice in clasping 
of each forefinger. Our knocks: [local]. Our sig- 
nals: [local]. 

To the great Republic we avow allegiance, its flag 
our banner, its chief our chieftain, its glory our 
knightly quest. 

For these ends and by these means we pledge our 
hands, our hearts and our manly honor to our ancient 
order. 

Explanations 

I. The castle name may be selected by the castle 
itself. The castle number and a charter are given 
the castle by headquarters when it is enrolled. 

III. The description in brackets is for places where 
it is desirable that it should be required that the boys 
should be members of the Sunday school or some 
other organization of the church. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



The reasons for not allowing the Pages to vote are 
to test their attachment and impel them to seek 
Esquireship. 

IV. This means that the boys act as presiding 
officer in turn. In some castles it may be desirable to 
elect permanent officers. Where boys are not of the 
same age, only the older boys might be allowed to 
preside. Merlin is the adult leader, Kay is the boy 
he chooses to help him as his assistant secretary and 
treasurer, the Heralds assist Kay and carry the castle 
banners, the white cross and the American flag. The 
Constable keeps order and is critic of the literary 
exercises. 

The Chancellors are the executive committee and 
should be of the most earnest and interested boys in 
the castle. The Chamberlains are the ' ' degree team. ' ' 

The King's Jester is a Page appointed by each 
new King to serve with him during his term. It is 
his duty to bear good humoredly the jokes and pranks 
of the rest and to tell at least three laughable stories 
in each conclave. He wears a fool's cap and sits at 
the King's feet. 

VI. The Lady of the Lake and the Queens of 
Avilion are the patronesses. They should be matrons 
who are willing to help the castle. When present at 
conclave, they sit about the throne. (A woman who 
acts as a Merlin may have the title " Lady of the 
Lake," and the rank of Baroness. She should be 
addressed as " Madame Merlin.") 

IX. See chapter X. 

XL Paynims are those not members. For the sake 
of timid parents the provision is inserted that they 





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ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

may be permitted to join the castle without initiation, 
but we never knew a boy to ask to do so. 

XIII. The arrangement of the castle hall is as fol- 
lows: The chairs are placed in a circle representing 
the ancient Round Table. At one end, upon a plat- 
form if possible, is the King's throne, a chair of 
more elaborate design is the Siege Perilous, covered 
with red or white cloth, at its right. In front of the 
King sits Merlin with Kay, his assistant, at his left. 
There may be a table between them. The throne 
should be made the central place of decoration. It 
may be roofed with crossed spears bound with the 
colors of the order. A handsome sword of some se- 
cret order can be borrowed of some father or bought 
by subscription. It or a spear may be used in place 
of a gavel. The seats should be arranged in as large 
and perfect a circle as possible. In the centre there 
may be for literary meetings a round table, but at 
ceremonials it is well to indicate the table by a circu- 
lar piece of carpet of the colors of the order. 

Here is a diagram used by Shalott castle, 52, Cam- 
bridge, Mass., which is most excellent in every way. 
The King is seated on the throne (the fan-shaped 
platform at the top of the room). On his right is 
the Siege Perilous (S. P.) and on the left a seat for 
one of the Pages, who acts as messenger for Sir Pen- 
dragon. At the Round Table in the centre are seated 
Sir Merlin (M.), the Sentinel and a Page or Messen- 
ger. The Constable is seated at the far end of the 
room. The members are seated in the numbered 
chairs, each seat being surmounted by a banner bear- 
ing the castle name of the member. Varying the 
number of chairs to accommodate the varying mem- 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



bership of different castles will make the circle more 
or less perfect. As the boys gradually make their own 
banners, these are to be stood behind each seat or 
hung horizontally, as in Henry VII 's chapel in West- 
minster Abbey, from under the eaves. 

XVIII. The arms are a white Maltese cross on a 
red field. The rallying cry or " castle yell " may 
be chosen by the boys themselves. Here are some 
sample yells: 

Hullo! 

Hurray ! 

K. 0. 

K. A. 

(Castle name inserted!) 

Camelot, 858, Watertown, N. Y. - 

Ripperty Rap ! Hurrah ! Hurray ! 
Ripperty Rap ! K. O. K. A ! 
Hullabaloo, baloo, balaa! 
Oamelot, 858! 
Watertown, Y. M. C. A. ! 

Roslyn, 905, Chesham, N. H.— 

Knights of Arthur, strong and brave, 

In our ranks, no place for knave. 

Pure and manly, la la la, 

Hurrah for our Castle, Rah ! Rah ! ! Rah ! ! ! 

Shalott, 603, New Albany, Ind.— 

We are the Knights, 

Knights of the King, 
Sworn to live pure, 

Sworn to speak true, 
To follow the King, 

In whatever we do. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Cragmar, 1041, St. Johnsbury Ctr., Vt— 
Ho, ho, ho ! Pages are we, 
Of the Court of King* Arthur, don 't you see ! 
We serve, we serve with loyalty, 
Pages are we, Pages are we, 
A h! 

Moosilauke, 523, Lyme, N. H.~ 
KO, KA, KO, KA., 
Castle Moosilauke, 
Dizzle, Dazzle, Gizzle, Gazzle, 
Ho, He, Ha. 

Kalo, 826, Rensselaer, Ind.— 

We are workers for the church, 
We won't leave it in the lurch. 
We do our work, Hurrah, Hurray, 
Rensselaer, K. 0. K. A. 

Camelot, 602, Crystal Falls, Mich.— 
ALL Rah, rah, rah, rah, 
Who do you think we are? 
Knights of the present day, 
K. 0. K. A. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



VI 

THE CONCLAVE 

A Ritual for Conducting a Conclave 

The members in processional, representing return 
from the hunt, enter the hall singing. 

(At triple stroke by King all are seated.) 
{Silence reigns.) 

King (rising) Sit Knights, Esquires and Pages. 

All— Hail to the King. 

King— We are in conclave assembled about the 
Table Round, that we may hear how it hath fared 
with each since Last we met, and that we may 
encourage one another to further deeds of valor. 
Sentinel, bar the gates and let no one be admitted. 
Let the Heralds now proclaim the purpose of our 
ancient order. 

Herald of the Cross (rising)— We be joined hand 
and heart to achieve Christian knightliness. What 
harmeth body, defileth tongue, or doeth ill to mind 
cometh not to our conclave. 

Herald of the Flag (rising)— To the Great Re- 
public we vow allegiance, its flag our banner, its chief 
our chieftain, its glory our knightly quest. 

# * 

All (rising)— For these ends and by these means, 
we pledge our hands, our hearts, and our manly 
honor, to our ancient order. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Hymn " Stand up for Jesus " or any other (ad 
libitum). 

Merlin or Dubric— Create in me a clean heart, 
God. 

All — And renew a right spirit within me. 

Merlin or Dubric— Let us pray. 

(The "Lord's Prayer or any other, after which all are 
seated.) 

# * # 

King— Sir Seneschal, examine thou the brethren. 

Seneschal— Pages, what is the motto of your 
degree ? 

Pages (rising)— I serve. 

Seneschal— What are the virtues of a Page? 

Pages— Watchfulness, obedience and service. 

Seneschal— And what are you, as Pages, pledged 
to do? 

Pages— To reverence our King and our conscience, 
and to follow all that makes a man. (Remain stand- 
ing.) 

Seneschal— Eight, be true. Esquires, what is the 
motto of your degree ? 

Esquires (rising)— In friendship. 

Seneschal— What are the virtues of an Esquire? 

Esquires— Purity, temperance and reverence. 

Seneschal— And what are you, as Esquires, 
pledged to do? 

Esquires— To master ourselves, to be chaste in 
word, thought and deed, to reverence ourselves, our 
neighbors, and our God in all chivalry, courtesy and 
manly valor. '(Remain standing.) 

Seneschal— Right, be reverent. Knights, what is 
the motto of your degree? 

67 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Knights (rising)— For Christ and the Church. 

Seneschal— What are the virtues of a Knight? 

Knights— Faith, hope and love. 

Seneschal— And what are you, as Knigh,ts, 
pledged to do? 

Knights—" Follow the Christ, the King, live pure, 
speak true, right wrong, follow the King, else, where- 
fore born." 

Seneschal— Right, be faithful. 

Castle Hymn 

1. Upon King Arthur's throne to-night, 
The royal sword is flashing bright; 
The dew of youth is on us laid, 
The dew of heaven upon our blade. 

Chorus 
Then lift the heart and raise the song. 
On manly voices fresh and strong; 
To knightly manhood pledged are we, 
In life and love and loyalty 

2. About the ancient Table Round 
The perfect circle shall be bound. 
The noble names of heroes bold 

We'll stainless bear as they of old.— Cho. 

3. Beneath the white cross banner now 
We'll hold the mem'ry of our vow; 
That cross to us of Christ shall sing, 
The first true Knight, the perfect King. 

— Cho. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

King— Comrades, the Seneschal will receive the 
password. 

(If necessary Seneschal reports: Sir is with- 
out the password. The King shall say: " Let him withdraw 
with Sir Merlin and receive it." On his return he must give 
the other forms which are required of those who come late, 
as described below.) 

Seneschal— Sir Pendragon, the brethren are ex- 
amined. 

King— It is well. And now I, Sir Pendragon, 
sitting upon the throne of Arthur, declare this con- 
clave open. Sir Sentinel, you may unloose the gates. 

(Note. — When a member comes in late the Sentinel shall 

approach the throne and say: " Sir Pendragon, Sir 

is without, having been detained by urgent business." The 
King shall say: ll Let him enter." He enters, salutes the 
King, draws imaginary sword, and whispers password to the 
Seneschal.) 

# 

Business 

King — We will now take the number of the 
brethren. ( Roll-call. ) 

What chanced when last we met? 

Wist any brother other happenings of note? 

What moneys are in our coffers? 

The tribute will now be received. 

Are there any paynims who desire to become mem- 
bers of our ancient order? 

Are there any candidates for election or advance- 
ment to a higher degree? 

Hath any brother news from other castles of our 
order ? 

Are there any messages from Caerleon ? 

Are there any complaints or petitions? 

Are there any embassies or councils to report? 

Is there any unfinished business? 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Is there any new business? 

Chancellors, what have you to offer ? 

Sir Merlin, hast thou words of counsel, or matter 
for further thought ? 

Knoweth any brother that which concerns the 
general welfare? 

Constable, you may present your report. 
# 
Closing 

King— Sir Knights, Esquires and Pages. 

All— Hail to the King. 

King— Ere we set forth on further quest, let us 
renew our covenant. 

(Circle formed by crossing and clasping hands.) 

Covenant 
(To be repeated together.) 

We, the Knights of King Arthur, gathered about 
the Round Table of unbroken brotherhood, and be- 
neath the banner of the white cross, the symbol of 
purity and devotion, and under the flag of our coun- 
try, do now covenant with our King and with each 
other, to be true to ourselves, true to each other, 
true to our order, and true to our country, until we 
meet again; we so covenant. 

Our fathers' God, to Thee, 
Author of liberty, 

To Thee we sing. 
Long may our land be bright 
With freedom's holy light- 
Protect us by Thy might, 

Great God, our King. 

70 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

King— Comrades, what is our legend? 
All— My sword shall be bathed in heaven. 
King— Salute our banners. 
All — 

(Military salute to banners, followed by the castle 
cheer.) 

* 

King— My faithful Knights, Esquires and Pages, 
our conclave is ended. Go ye now forth to achieve 
such deeds of chivalry as becometh true men. 

" Hold this thing to be grandly true 

That a noble deed is a step toward God, 
Lifting the soul from the common clod 
To a purer air and a broader view." 

(Processional— Heralds, King and Merlin, Knights, Esquires 
and Pages.) 

All— 

" We march, we march to victory 
With the cross of the Lord before us, 
With His loving eye looking down from the sky, 
And His holy arm spread o 'er us. ' ' 

Explanation 

The Seneschal should be the only member in the 
room when all are ready to begin. He may bear a 
tall spear and should meet the members at the door 
and lead them in. The members should form outside 
in the following order: First, the two Heralds with 
the banners, the castle banner and the American flag ; 
then the members in order of rank ; Pages, Esquires, 
Knights, and Members of the Peerage. Then come 

71 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



the Chamberlains, Chancellors, Merlin and King. Vis- 
iting comrades should be placed in the positions to 
which they are entitled by their rank. If a whole 
castle is visiting, it should be given the place of honor, 
behind the local castle, the rear ranking highest in 
all cases in these processionals. Should there be a 
bugler or cornetist or drummer, he would precede the 
Heralds ; otherwise there should be, if possible, music 
from piano or organ within. 

When the Seneschal meets the castle he leads them 
slowly around the hall about three times and then 
pausing and turning at the foot of the hall leads 
them toward the throne, where they halt and form 
two long lines, facing inward, down the hall. Then 
the Merlin and King march up through and at the 
triple stroke of the King all are seated, each going 
quietly to his place in the hall. In this form, the 
asterisks (*) mean raps of the gavel. One means 
silence; two, stand; three, sit. The Seneschal should 
be compelled to learn his part so that he can give it 
without reading it, and the members of each degree 
should be perfectly familiar with the responses. The 
song, " Upon King Arthur's Throne To-night," goes 
very well to the stirring tune of " Maryland my 
Maryland." It may also be used with anything in 
long metre ; one long metre tune may be used for the 
verses and another for the chorus. But all are urge* 1 
to use the inspiring tune, composed especially for 
us by Mr. Sabin. 

At the time of prayer, if prayer is used, the boys 
should rise or it may be well to use the knightly cus- 
tom of kneeling in a circle at their seats. If other 
prayers are used, they can be repeated by the Merlin. 

72 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

After the boys are seated, let us look around and 
see how they are armed. The Pages are entitled to 
bear spears, the Esquires shields, and the Knights 
swords. The color of sashes, badges, or robes, also 
denotes the rank. Page, blue; Esquire, red; Knight, 
white ; Baronet, gold bar across color of rank ; Baron, 
purple; Viscount, yellow; Earl, lavender; Marquis, 
light blue; Duke, crimson; Prince, red velvet 

The King has come in armed with his finer blade. 
Merlin and Seneschal should have much of their 
minutes, rolls, etc., on very large sheets of paper — like 
parchments. The officers are recognized by the jewels 
they wear : Merlin by the torch of wisdom ; Pendragon 
by crossed gavels; Seneschal by crossed pens; Sen- 
tinel by crossed swords ; Constable by crossed batons, 
and Herald by a horn; Dubric by the Bible; Jester 
by his likeness ; Master of Exchequer by bag of money. 
These jewels should be owned by the castle, and so 
passed from officer to officer whenever changes are 
made. 

In calling the roll the full title which belongs to 
each member should be called out slowly and solemnly. 
The boys like it. 

All members who wish to speak or who have any 
vocal part in the ceremonies, rise, give the military 
salute with the hand, and say, " Sir Pendragon." 
The King recognizes them by calling them by their 
knightly name with the prefix " Sir." 

In one castle the salute, used when a member comes 
late, differs according to rank. A Page salutes by 
raising his right hand, in deference; an Esquire 
throws out his left hand clenched, as if holding a 
shield, and his right at his side, as if holding a spear; 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



a Knight makes the motion of drawing a sword and 
of striking. The symbolism is plain. 

Castles may determine their own password. One is 
printed in King Arthur's Herald in advance in cryp- 
tography, the key to which is: 



a 


b 


c d e f 


g 


h 


i 


3 k 1 


m 


n 


?> 


, 


? $ 3 ! 


- 


& 


8 


' ( ) 


; 


* 







P 


q r s 


t 


u 


V 


w X 


y 


z 


9 





1 4 : 


5 


7 


£ 


2 X 


6 


& 



In case of disorder the Constable, either by himself 
or at the suggestion of Merlin, should give admonition 
in private or public and if necessary order the offend- 
ing member to leave the hall. No disorder is to be 
permitted in the castles of our fraternity. 

The closing ritual should be made as impressive 
as possible. At this time or at intervals before this, 
such appropriate castle songs, as the boys have com- 
posed or adopted, may be sung. Each member should 
be asked to select a hymn which shall be his own, 
and on the night when he is King it may be sung. 

The boys should march out of the hall at the close, 
even if some return again. This should be to music. 
The marching out clears the hall and makes general 
disorder less likely than as though adjournment took 
place within. 



74 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



VII 

THE FIRST DEGREE 

That of Page 

A Form for the Initiation to the First Degree. 

(Kay meets candidate outside, collects the fee, if one is 
charged, dresses him in a ragged coat, blindfolds and leads to 
castle gate. Gives his knock. Response to same within. They 
enter and march around room. If not desirable to blindfold 
candidate, room may be partly darkened. Chamberlains are in 
rear, armed with swords or staves. Silence.) 

# 

Sentinel— Who be ye, my sons? 

Kay— We be tillers of the soil who come to see the 
glories of our king. Grant us to serve among thy 
kitchen knaves for meat and drink a twelve month 
and a day. Thereafter we will fight. 

Sentinel— If ye pass beneath this archway unto 
Caerleon upon Usk then will ye be enchanted. For 
the King will bind you by such oaths as is a shame a 
man should not be bound by, yet which no man can 
fully keep. Go not further, turn aside and abide 
among the cattle of the field. 

Kay— Nay, but we will enter. 

Sentinel — Go forward at your peril, if ye be not 
true men. 

Kay— Let us hasten on under cover of the dark- 
ness. 

Kay— Lad, we have yet a day's journey to go and 
we have no provisions. Stay you here under this 

75 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



shelter and I will go to yonder hut and see if they 

are Christian folk who will do us guest-friendship. 

(Part of Chamberlains personating foes, approach, journey- 
ing through the forest, engaged in conversation.) 

1. I fear me we shall not meet with adventure this 
day, the time is near spent. 

2. Brother, yonder is a fair shadow where we may 
rest ourselves and horses. 

3. Yes, let us tarry here awhile. 

4. I shall be full glad, for all these seven years I 
have not been so tired. 

1. Look, brother, do you see that man crouching 
beneath the shelter of yonder rocks? 

2. I do. And are not those the colors of our hated 
foe, King Arthur, upon the cloak beside him ? 

1. They are. Let us seize and kill him. (Aloud.) 
Up with King Moclred. 

All— Down with King Arthur. (All seize and 
bind him.) 

1. Let us draw lots to see who will be the one to 
joust with him. 

2. No, he is but a kitchen knave. Let us pierce 
him with arrows. 

3. Let us toss him over the crags. 

4. Comrades, we will burn him at the stake. 

1. Make sure he is well tied. (Action.) 

2. Now pile high the fagots. 

3. Give me the flint and steel. 

4. Hark, methinks I hear horsemen approaching. 
Let us leave him to his torture. 

(Sounds of Knights approaching on horseback.) 

Merlin (loudly)— Knights of King Arthur to the 
rescue. 

Foe 1— AYho be ye? 

76 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Knight 1— We be true Knights of King Arthur. 

Foe 4— If ye be of the Round Table, I do defy ye 
and all your fellows. 

Knight 2— That is saying over much. 

Knight 3— Truly yonder lone lad we will help, for 
it were a shame to see four knights on one. For if 
he be slain we are partners of his death. 

(Here follows combat, din of battle, Knights are victorious.) 



Foe 1— We yield to you as men of might, matchless. 

Knight 1— It is well said. When I call upon 
you ye must yield unto King Arthur, and all thy 
companions. 

(Merlin takes the lad.) 

Merlin— Lad, thou hast been near to death. Seven 
tall knights, on horseback, wholly armed, behind a 
rock, in shadow lurked for thee, villains all. These 
brethren of King Arthur's court and I were passing 
to the tourney and hasted to thy relief. Fall in, 
comrades, and let us proceed to the castle. 

(Whole castle forms, Merlin and lad in rear.) 

Merlin— The morning breaks (the blindfold is re- 
moved) and danger is over. 

(All divide and form a double line facing in. Merlin and 
lad pass through to throne.) 

Merlin— Kneel, lad. (Kneels.) 

Merlin— Sir Pendragon, here is a country lad who 
hath come to see thy court. Journeying hither he 
was rescued from death by our brethren of the Round 
Table, and now eagerly desires to go forth on the 
first quest and be made a Knight of Arthur. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



King— My Knights are sworn to vows of utter 
hardihood, utter faithfulness and uttermost obedience 
to the King. 

Merlin— He is a goodly youth, my lord. For har- 
dihood I can promise thee, for uttermost obedience 
make demand. 

King— Knights of the Round Table. 

All— Hail to the King. 

King— Tell me, is he worthy or not worthy? 

All— He is worthy! 

King— Will you receive him as your Page? 

All— We will. 

King— Rise. Sir Kay, read to him our covenant. 

Kay — This brotherhood is of the order of the 

Knights of King Arthur. We be castle . 

We be joined hand and heart to achieve Christian 
knightliness. What harmeth body, defileth tongue, 
or doeth ill to mind cometh not to our conclave. To 
the Great Republic we vow allegiance, its flag our 
banner, its chief our chieftain, its glory our knightly 
quest. For these ends and by these means we pledge 
our hands, our hearts, and our manly honor to our 
ancient order. 

King— Will you accept this covenant? 

Lad— I will. 

King — Venerable Merlin, what are the virtues of a 
Page? 

Merlin— Sir Pendragon, watchfulness, obedience 
and service. 

King— Explain these virtues to the lad. 

Merlin— Lad, thou hast already learned what 
these virtues mean. Attacked under yonder tree by 
Modred's men, thou didst prove thyself watchful. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Commanded to follow me to King Arthur's court, 
thou wast instantly obedient. In all thy dangers 
thou hast been courageous. And now, bound to serve 
among the kitchen knaves to Sir Kay, our surly 
master of the meats and drinks, a twelve-month and 
a day, thou will have good cause to exercise these 
virtues in all humility. 

King — Sir Kay, explain to him thy mysteries. 

Kay— Our arms be a cross (maltese) argent upon 
a field gules. 

Our legend: My sword shall be bathed in heaven. 

Our rallying cry. (Local.) 

Our hand grasp (the clasping of hands and the 
pressure twice in clasping of each forefinger) . 

Our knocks. (Local.) 

Our signals. (Local.) 

Our password. 

King — Kneel. (Kneels.) Lay thy hands in mine 
(King takes lad's hands in his), and swear: to rev- 
erence thy King and thy conscience as thy King, to 
seek high thought and love of truth, and follow all 
that makes a man. Do you thus swear % 

Lad— I do. 

All (in deep voice) — We are witness! 

Ktng— Then let him be sealed, in the presence of 
all, as our servant. (His forehead is sealed.) 

King— Eetire with Sir Kay for enrollment and to 
receive the watchword of the gate. 

(These given, he is vested with Page's suit. Meanwhile 
procession marches around, Kay and lad leading the rest, and 
they reverse the line, by passing within divided ranks down 
to the rear. Then, when all have faced in, they two march 
within, up to the throne. Lad kneels. Silence.) 

Castle hymn or selected hymn sung or recited: 
some martial hymn or poem. 

79 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



King (loudly)— Rise , loyal Page of the 

Court of King Arthur! (Rises.) Comrades, what 
is the legend of the order? 

All (swords uplifted)— MY SWORD SHALL BE 
BATHED IN HEAVEN. 

King— Henceforth, Sir Page, let this be your motto. 
Salute our newly elected brother. (All greet him.) 

Explanation 

This degree is really introductory only. The Page 
in mediaeval times was the servant, yet it was possi- 
ble for him to advance to a higher position ; so in our 
order the new members are in a condition of servi- 
tude, they are debarred of certain privileges and must 
receive instruction before they advance further. Such 
a condition is not satisfactory and it is not intended 
that it should be, yet it is most wholesome for a time 
for the average boy. It prevents a certain self-con- 
scious priggishness in a very decisive fashion. We 
think it is desirable that the boys should be kept as 
Pages for at least six months. They need time to 
find out whether they like the order well enough to 
become useful members, and they need to fully un- 
derstand the obligations of the second degree before 
they take them. Often many boys think them to be 
unmanly restrictions. They are not so and this order 
declares by giving privileges to those who take them 
that they are not so, but there is a danger that the 
boys will hasten to take upon themselves these obli- 
gations so as to become Esquires and be able to vote, 
and the delay is an antidote to this tendency. 

The initiation ceremony, which has just been de- 
scribed, is quite amusing and exciting. The outline 

80 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

and some of the language has been borrowed from 
the story of Gareth's enlistment as a Page in Tenny- 
son's " Gareth and Lynette." It is intended to 
have its lesson. This lesson is that of obligation to 
those who have shown their friendliness by making 
the lad a member of their company. The idea of 
protection to the weak, the central thought in chiv- 
alry, and brotherhood to the suffering, is exemplified 
by this ritual. The boy on his first entrance to the 
castle finds its members at their best engaged in help- 
fulness to another, that is, himself. Although the 
form itself is humorous the actors must learn that it 
will not seem funny unless they be serious and self- 
controlled. 

This ritual should never be given without rehearsal ; 
it may be shortened or elaborated still further. Per- 
fect order and silence of those not participating are 
to be insisted on throughout. The ceremony is so 
arranged as to prevent any possibility of physical 
violence. If disorder or violence are attempted the 
Merlin should close the exercises immediately for 
that day. The fact that those who conduct the ini- 
tiations have earned the privilege by good behavior 
tends to put these ceremonies in the hands of those 
who will perform them well. Note that no one 
touches the candidate but Merlin and Kay. 

The " seal " is any ordinary gummed seal. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



VIII 

THE SECOND DEGREE 
That of Esquire 

(The candidate, blindfolded outside by Sir Kay and wearing 
the seal of a Page upon his brow, enters the castle alone. As 
he proceeds, he is suddenly stopped by Merlin, who puts a 
sword blade across his throat.) 

Merlin— Who rushes thus, unbidden, into the pres- 
ence of King Arthur? 

Kay {from the rear)— A Page of our court who 
desires to become an Esquire. 

Merlin (removing the sword) — Lad, when first 
you entered King Arthur's court you were told that 
the King would bind you by such oaths as is a shame 
a man should not be bound by, yet which no man can 
fully keep. The time has come for you to hear those 
oaths and to be bound by them. Are you willing to 
go forward? 

Page— I am. 

Merlin— Sir Kay, lead the Page to the castle. 

(The candidate is led twice around the room by Sir Kay, 
then up an incline to a height, where he is left alone. (For 
this is used an ordinary wide-topped table, approached by a 
safe incline of boards.) Representation of a storm of thunder 
and lightning is optional. Merlin, standing at some distance, 
continues : ) 

Merlin— My lad, you have learned lessons of 
loyalty, obedience and service as a Page. You aspire to 
the higher rank of Esquire. To-day you have climbed 
to a great height. How dangerous is your situation! 

82 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

One false step and you fall to ruin. Yet though you 
are alone and in danger, you have but to call, and 
friends will come to your aid. And this is true, be- 
cause you belong to our great kingdom of brothers. 
I counsel you that he who would make friends must 
show himself friendly. When next I meet you at 
King Arthur's court, be ready to take a covenant of 
friendship. 

(The candidate, after being led around the hall again, still 
blindfolded, is guided by Sir Kay to the King.) 

Merlin— Sir Pendragon, this young Page wishes 
to become an Esquire at our court. 

King— Has he served his probation as a Page and 
has he studied the history of our noble order ? 

Merlin— Sir Pendragon, he has. 

King— Sir you have served as a Page. You are 

now to be recognized as a brother. Will you take the 
covenant of friendship ? 

Page— I will. 

King — Remove the seal of servitude. 

(Merlin removes the seal.) 

King (rising) — Form the circle of knightly 
brotherhood. 

(Each member crosses his hands and takes the hands of 
his neighbors, all standing in circle. The King and Page enter 
and clasp hands with the others.) 

King— Lad, you may repeat the covenant of friend- 
ship after Merlin. 

Merlin (leading, phrase by phrase, the Page fol- 
lows aloud). 

I, Sir ; 

Page to the Knights of King Arthur; 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Standing at the Round Table of unbroken broth- 
erhood ; 

Do now covenant; 
To be true to myself; 
True to these brothers; 
True to the order; 
And true to my country; 
I so covenant. 

(The King returns to the throne and is seated. The Knights 
are seated.) 

# # # 

King— Sir Merlin have you informed the Page of 
the obligations that he must assume ? 

Merlin— I have, Sir King. 

King— Has he been tested? 

Merlin— He has not. 

King (addressing candidate)— Lad, are you will- 
ing to undergo the ordeal that shall show whether 
you are fit to be an Esquire? 

Candidate— I am. 

King— Lead him to the stone of testing. 
# * 

(The Esquires fall in line and proceed twice around the 
room leading Merlin and candidate to the stone, near which the 
Chamberlains are collected.) 

Merlin— Here, my lad, lies the mystic sword Excali- 
bur embedded in the stone of testing. If you are 
ready for Esquireship, you will be able to draw it 
from its sheath. 

Take hold and draw out the sword. (Emphatically.) 

(Candidate's hands are placed on the hilt of the sword. He 
tries to draw it and fails. The castle jeers loudly.) 

Merlin— Alas, my son, you are not ready. I must 
go sadly to the King. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

(He goes, and in returning passes twice round the room in 
the opposite direction whence he came to the stone, and then 
addresses the Bang in a loud tone, so that candidate may 
hear.) 

Merlin— Sir King, the Page was tried and is found 
unworthy. 

King— Doubtless his heart failed him because of 
uncleanness. Bring him to me. 

(Merlin then returns to stone and brings candidate to the 
King, and the King addresses him.) 

King— My lad, you cannot become a man until you 
assume manly virtues. Sir Merlin will bind you by 
a vow, our triple pledge of purity, temperance and 
reverence. Kneel. 

(Candidate kneels.) 

Merlin — You will pronounce your name and re- 
peat after me the following: — 

I, Sir loyal Page of the Knights of King 

Arthur, do of my own free will and accord, take upon 
myself the vow of an Esquire: 

I will master myself; I will be chaste in word, 
thought and deed; I will reverence God's house and 
God's service and God's children, in all chivalry, 
courtesy and manly valor. 

King— Sir Merlin, you will continue. 

Merlin— Do you now solemnly promise to keep 
that secret vow and compact which you have made 
with your own heart, before you offered yourself to 
be an Esquire? 

Page— I do. 

King— Let him now be tested. 

Merlin— Rise, lad. We will now go to the stone 
of testing and try again to draw the sword. 

85 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



(Candidate rises, is led to stone, draws sword. The castle 
cheers, and bears him on their shoulders to the King. Blind- 
fold is removed and Excalibur taken from him and given to 
the King.) 

Merlin— Kneel, lad. 

(He does so.) 

King {touching him with the sword) :— Rise, Sir 
true Esquire of the court of King Arthur. 

Comrades what is the motto of our order? 

All (swords uplifted)— MY SWORD SHALL BE 
BATHED IN HEAVEN. 

(King gives him the sword.) 

King— Let your well-won sword, Esquire, be used 

only in the spirit of heaven and in conflicts that 

heaven can bless. 

(The new Esquire is then led to his place in the circle, and 
at command of the King all are seated.) 

Explanations 

This form is from the story of Arthur and the magic 
sword at London. 

It is an important step to become an Esquire. It 
means or should mean that the boy has decided to 
take an advance step in his moral life, Some boys 
and even some Merlins have thought that because a 
boy did not drink, swear or smoke, or because he was 
a member of the Christian Endeavor Society, he was 
therefore thought fit to beome an Esquire. There 
could be no more distinct mistake. No boy should be 
allowed to become an Esquire until he has been tested 
as a Page for several months. When he does take 
the obligation it must mean something to him. AVhat 
if he is temperate? Does that mean that he is pure? 
Does it imply that he is reverent? Is he sure he is 
thoroughly temperate? 

86 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

We do not recommend an iron-clad pledge for this 
degree. We prefer that it should be a compact that 
the boy himself originates. Preparation for this de- 
gree enables the Merlin to have a quiet talk with 
each boy upon the virtues that are its characteristic 
and to give him needed instructions. If the Merlin 
finds that the boy has included in his compact some 
real ideal and some step of self-denial, he should 
accept it as satisfactory. 

In Castle Christopher, Stroudsburg, Pa., no Page 
can become an Esquire until he has passed an exam- 
ination upon the simple facts of reproduction in 
plant, animal and human life. The Merlin says: 
" The results have been beautiful. It is good to see 
the self-consciousness and embarrassment disappear 
from a boy's face as he studies natural science, which 
is true Christian science, in this way." 

Each candidate should present as his qualifications 
for Esquireship his own knightly biography, that is, 
the story of the life of the hero whose name he has 
taken, and answers to certain questions on the mean- 
ing of the order and its history. 

The Esquires should be distinguished by a special 
badge. Red is their color, and all the Esquires should 
have badges or sashes of this color to wear at con- 
claves. 

This initiation is a graphic picture of strength that 
is acquired by self-mastery. The sword is a large 
wooden one, with a hole through the blade, so braced 
and fastened by a pin that it cannot be drawn until 
the pin has been pulled out, which is done at the sec- 
ond attempt. 



87 . 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



IX 

THE THIRD DEGREE 

That of Knight 

The First Stage: Devotional 

(Knights and candidates present. At a signal all kneel or 
rise.) 

Merlin— Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are 

open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets 

are hid; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the 

inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly 

love Thee and worthily magnify Thy Name through 

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

[Merlin then explains the manner and meaning of the 
ceremony of knighting in ancient time (see Bulfinch's Age of 
Chivalry), and calls upon the candidates to repeat the Ten 
Commandments, one by one, setting forth after each the 
principle suggested, by the following questions. After each 
commandment and question he makes a pause.] 

1. Have I placed obedience to God constantly be- 
fore me as the highest aim of my life ? 

2. Have I worshiped Him in sincerity and truth, 
meaning the words I took upon my lips? 

3. Have I spoken or thought lightly or irreverently 
of sacred things, especially of the Name that is above 
every name? 

4. Have I endeavored to make Sunday a holy day, 
a day of rest and loving service? 

5. Have I given due respect, gratitude and obedi- 
ence to my parents, my teachers and those in au- 
thority? 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

6. Have I cherished ill will in my heart toward 
anyone ? 

7. Have I been pure in thought, word and deed? 

8. Have I taken aught that was not mine without 
the owner's consent ? 

9. Have I spoken untruth or unkindness of my fel- 
lows and have I been always a true friend? 

10. Have I been discontented and unhappy, or have 

I wished for what was another 's ? 

(After this personal confession made by each to his own 
soul, Merlin asks for the repetition one by one of the 
Beatitudes, asking after each the following questions:) 

1. Am I willing to practice the presence of God 
and to learn and to obey the laws of the kingdom to 
which I belong ? 

2. Am I willing to be patient, hopeful that I shall 
some day be content? 

3. Am I willing to seek " the charity that cannot 
believe, the ignorance that will not know, the gentle- 
ness that will not condemn the sins of others?'' 

4. Am I always eager to obey the heavenly vision, 
to do according to the pattern shown me in the mount, 
to follow Jesus? 

5. Will I be merciful, always a chivalrous knight of 
Christ, serving the weak, and especially my younger 
brothers ? 

6. Will I be pure as he who won the Siege Perilous 
and saw the Holy Grail? 

7. Will I wield a sword that is bathed in heaven? 

8. Will I stand alone, misunderstood, neglected, if 
need be, to be numbered with those who seek a better 
country, that is a heavenly, even the city that hath 
foundations, the Kingdom of God among men? 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



(After the self -consecration thus expressed in silence, Merlin 
leads in the General Confession (from the prayer book), or, 
if he so desires, offers an extempore prayer. 

At the close of prayer the knights and candidates may take 
supper together.) 

The Second Stage: Symbolical 

(Knights lead candidates blindfolded into the castle hall, 
led by a procession carrying tapers. Merlin follows.) 

Processional hymn. 

Merlin— We are now in the great hall of King Ar- 
thur. Let us await in silence the commands of the 
King. 

King— Whom have you there, Sir Merlin? 

Merlin— An Esquire seeking knighthood. 

King— Has he fasted and witnessed a good con- 
fession ? 

Merlin— He has. 

(Enter the Lady of the Lake and three Queens of Avilion, 
in white, and stand beside the King. The tapers are assem- 
bled in front of them.) 

Merlin— Here are three fair Queens, with bright, 
sweet faces, who will help us in our need. And near 
me stands the Lady of the Lake, who knows a subtler 
magic than my own. She gave the King his huge 
cross-hilted sword; from the deep has she come, 
where she dwells, from prayer and praise and fast 
and alms, to bring a message to us at the Table 
Round. 

The Lady of the Lake— Sweet brother, I have 
seen the Holy Grail ! The Holy Thing is here again 
among us. Fast thou too and pray, and tell thy 
brother knights to fast and pray, that so perchance 
the vision may be seen by thee and those, and all 
the world be heal'd. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Merlin— Lady, bind a baldric upon yon lad, and 
consecrate him to knighthood. 

Lady (binding sword-belt) — Knight of heaven, I, 
maiden, round thee, maiden, bind my belt. Go forth, 
for thou shalt see what I have seen, and break 
through all, till one will crown thee King far in the 
spiritual city. (Blindfold is removed.) 

King — Kneel, while Merlin uncovers the Siege Peri- 
lous, perilous for good and ill. Perchance if Galahad 
be present, we may catch sight of the Holy Grail. 

(As Merlin uncovers the Siege Perilous, lighted by the tapers, 
there is a crash, the tapers go out and over the Siege is seen 
the Holy Grail, illumined. Silence.) 

King— What seest thou? 

Candidate— I see the Holy Grail. 

King — It is the cup from which our Lord drank at 
the last sad supper with his own. This from the 
blessed land of Aromat — after the day of darkness 
when the dead went wandering over Moriah — the 
good saint, Arimathean Joseph, journeying brought 
to Glastonbury. If a man may touch or see it, he is 
heal'd at once, by faith, of all his ills. 

A Voice— If thy heart be pure, this Holy Thing 

shall fail not from thy side, but move with thee night 

and day. In the strength of this ride on, shattering 

all evil customs everywhere, and break through all, 

and in the strength of this come victor. 

(The Grail disappears. After a pause the lights are sud- 
denly turned on.) 

Third Stage: The Knighting 

(A conclave is opened in due form at this or another time 
with the full castle present. At the place indicated for initia- 
tions in the conclave ritual, Merlin approaches the throne with 
candidate. Both kneel.) 

91 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Merlin— Sir Pendragon, this Esquire desires to 
become a knight. 

King— Is his heart prepared for the duties and 
responsibilities of this high degree? 

Merlin— I trust so. 

King— Sir, are you with true and honest heart 
ready to take the pledge of knighthood ! 

Candidate— I am. 

King— Lead him to the altar. 

(Silence. Twelve strokes of a bell are sounded. He is 
surrounded by Knights.) 

Form the circle of knightly brotherhood. 
* * 

Standing by this altar, within the unbroken circle 
of your brethren, do you covenant with them and 
with your own heart to serve your Master, the church, 
and this order, as a true Christian Knight ? 

Candidate— I do. 

(King retires to throne.) 

Hymn (optional). 

King (raising Excalibur)— Kneel. 

In the name of God, and St. Michael, and St. 
George, Sir , I dub thee Knight. (Smit- 
ing his shoulder.) Be brave and loyal! Rise. 

(Knight rises.) 

King— What are the arms of your heraldry? 

The Knight answers. 

King— And what is your knightly motto? 

The Knight answers. 

King— Kneel and receive thine armor, and, kneel- 
ing, listen to the dearest wish and prayer of her who 
blesses you. 

02 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

(The mother of the Knight or the Lady of the Lake invests 
him with his sword and spurs, and whispers wish or prayer.) 

Merlin— Let us pray. (All kneeling.) 

Lord God, high and mighty, who doest Thy will 

through the strength of men, bless this sword of our 

endeavor. Bless it with the strength of Thy will. 

Bless it with the humility of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. 

Bless it with the gentleness of Thy love, that it be 

justly used. Bless it with the wisdom of Thy mind, 

that we do know for what we fight. Bless these who 

bear it that they may not be ashamed to confess the 

faith of Christ crucified, and manfully fight under 

His banner, against sin, the world and the devil, and 

continue Christ's faithful soldiers and servants unto 

their life's end. Amen. 

(The Merlin or the Knight's father attaches the cross to 
his robe.) 

Merlin— Let us pray. 

Almighty God our heavenly Father, bless thy ser- 
vant [or servants], this Christian Knight, upon whose 
breast we place the Holy Cross, the symbol of the 
Passion of our Lord. Grant that, as it is close to his 
heart, so he may learn to love it, and his right hand 
to defend it, and that, thus sealed with the sign of 
love, he may go forth, not to be ministered unto but 
to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. 
In the name of Christ we pray. Amen. 

King— Follow Sir Merlin for enrollment as a 

Knight of the order. 

(All are kneeling in double lines and Merlin and new 
Knights pass down. After the enrollment, all rise. The new 
Knights are received into an inner circle of Knights only, 
while the Esquires and Pages surround them by an outer circle. 
All join hands.) 

King — What is the motto of our order? 



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All-MY SWORD SHALL BE BATHED IN 
HEAVEN. 

King— Sir Knight, in fulfillment of our motto, seek 
a quest worthy of your honorable name, and report 
to me when it is fulfilled. 

Brethren do homage to the newly consecrated 

Knight. 

(All give him the military salute, and the conclave is closed 
in regular form.) 

Explanation 

Before this ceremony, the candidate should scrupu- 
lously observe all the ancient customs, viz: the bath; 
confession (perhaps a special quiet talk with par- 
ents or Merlin) ; the vigil (an hour alone standing 
in the darkened church with his sword laid upon its 
altar) ; in churches, where it is available, the morn- 
ing sacrament; and fasting (since noon). 

The candidate should appear in a white robe with 
a red scarf and a black belt, escorted by two other 
Knights as Sponsors. The white represents purity, 
the red the blood he is willing to shed in defense of 
the oppressed, the black is the emblem of death, that 
comes to all. This is from the mediaeval French 
custom. 

In the impressive Second Stage the entrance of the 
Lady of the Lake is emblematic of the blessing of 
the Knight by the church, and takes the place of the 
blessing of the armor by the priest in the olden cere- 
mony. The episode of the Holy Grail at the Table 
Round is taken, in detail and in language, from Ten- 
nyson's account of its first appearance in his " The 
Holy Grail." The " Voice " is supposed to be that 
of Galahad. The " crash " is made by a hammer 

94 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

struck on a sheet of zinc or iron, held suspended. The 
" Grail " is a silver cup placed upon a stand and 
covered until its appearance, when it is illumined 
by a light hung high and shaded so that a beam only 
will fall down upon the cup through a long tube. 

It is a good custom for the new Knight to select 
as his quest an act of self-denial, the accomplishment, 
not the nature, of which, he shall be required to 
report. 



95 



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THE SIEGE PERILOUS 
A Form for Conferring the Honor 

(In the conclave, at the time of new business, the Siege 
Perilous may be conferred. Before it is given the Merlin 
should be assured that there will be general consent in the 
castle to its being given and that the one upon whom it is to 
be conferred is ignorant of the proposed action or at least has 
made no effort to secure it. He should also see that some 
member has prepared, in fitting and dignified language, an 
account of the exploit which deserves commemoration and that 
there are two sponsors or witnesses to the deed.) 

Merlin— Sir Pendragon, I have the honor to name 
one of our brethren for the seat of the peerless Knight, 
Sir Galahad, the Siege Perilous. 

King— Sir Kay, you may read the conditions for 
the conferring of this honor. 

Kay (reads)— When a great deed of brawn or brain 
or knightliness hath been done by a brother, it shall 
be told to Merlin and by him to the King. Then if 
they think fit, the King shall rise and all the brother- 
hood with him, an so be none dissenting, and the 
Siege Perilous shall be uncovered, and the brother 
shall be led thereto, and so shall he sit beside the 
King. Then for that whole conclave shall he be 
hailed as Sir Galahad, and all his life long thereafter 
he shall be a Baronet. 

King— Merlin, name me this worthy brother. 

Merlin— Sir Pendragon, it is Sir . 

King— What is the exploit or adventure that shall 

96 




Showing Arrangement of Throne, Siege Perilous, Banners, and 
Seneschal's Desk. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

entitle this brother to so great a dignity? Name me 
his knightly achievement. 

Any Knight (reads)— Sir Pendragon, etc. (de- 
scribes the exploit in detail). 

King— Who are sponsors for this deed of glory? 

Sponsors— We are, Sir Pendragon. 

King — Are yon witnesses, or have you certain 
knowledge, that this deed was performed as this 
declaration sets forth? 

Sponsors — Even so, Sir Pendragon. 

King— Sir (the candidate) , yon may re- 
tire. 

King— And now I shall ask the Brotherhood for 

their consent to raising Sir to the seat of 

Galahad, the Siege Perilous. (To the Knights, call- 
ing each by his castle name.) Sir , do 

yon grant the Siege Perilous to this brother? 

Each— I grant it (rising). 

(And so with the Esquires and Pages, until all 
have consented and all are standing.) 

King— Merlin, you may uncover your ancient and 
honorable seat. (Merlin uncovers the Siege.) 

King— Brothers, do obeisance to the peerless 
Knight. 

(Kay leads the candidate for the Siege up the Hall through 
double lines of knights kneeling upon one knee with swords 
outstretched in an arch, to the Siege. As he seats himself, 
Merlin lays over his shoulder the crimson cover of the seat 
as a cloak.) 

King— Rise, Sir Knights, Esquires and Pages. Sir 

Kay, proclaim Sir as Galahad for this 

day and for all his life Baronet of the Order of the 
Knights of King Arthur. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Kay {facing the new Baronet, at either hand of 
whom now stand the Heralds, holding their banners) 
—By command of the King, and by authority of the 
Knights of King Arthur, I proclaim thee, Sir 

(giving all his titles and the dates when 

conferred) as Galahad of our castle for this day and 
for all thy life long Baronet of the Order of the 
Knights of King Arthur. 

King— Acclaim Sir Galahad. 

All (loudly, rising)— Kail to Sir ! 

Explanation 

This spontaneous burst of unanimous praise is a 
splendid encouragement to the individual member 
who deserves it. The Merlin will endeavor to set 
the standard for this honor high enough so that 
everybody will not expect to get it at once and yet 
reasonable enough so that various kinds of genuine 
and unselfish achievement may be rewarded. As 
illustration of the deeds recognized, we turn to our 
reports from individual castles and learn that the 
Baronets have earned the rank by these merits : ' * un- 
usual attainments in athletics and by loyalty ;" 
11 by obtaining a beautiful room for the meetings;" 
" by risking his life to save another;" " by confess- 
ing a wrong ; " " by faithful service as Counsellor to 
Merlin ; " "by rescuing a young lady from drown- 
ing;" " for succoring an orphan boy, dividing cloth- 
ing until there was no more to divide, and helping 
financially as long as he could, yet himself a poor 
boy of 15 years supporting himself and mother by 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

his own labors ; ' ' i ' by acts of kindness ; ' ' ' * for doing 
the ironing and chamber work for his mother." 

The authors are very anxious to have reports of the 
deeds which in the various castles have been rewarded 
by the Siege Perilous. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



XI 

THE PEERAGE 
A Form for Conferring any Rank of the Peerage 

(In the conclave, at the time of new business, the Merlin 
having assured himself that any member has fulfilled the 
requirements for any rank and having ready the diploma of 
the same, rises and says:) 

Merlin— Sir Pendragon, I have the honor to pre- 
sent to you Sir as worthy of the rank of 

(Baron, Earl, etc.) in our ancient order. 

King— What is the lineage and knightly history 
of this brother? 

Merlin— Sir , whom I name for the rank 

of , was made a Page in our order on 

the day of the month in the year of King 

Arthur the (and so on) and has proven 

himself a loyal and worthy brother of our order. 

King — What fitness has he shown for so noble a 
rank? 

Merlin names his attainments. 

King— Sir , you may present yourself at 

the throne {rising). And now, whereas it hath been 
represented unto me by our right worthy and trusty 
Knight, Sir Merlin, that this brother is worthy, 
I, Arthur Pendragon, King in the Order of the 
Knights of King Arthur, do by my special grace, 
certain knowledge and mere motion confer upon 
Sir , of Castle , the rank of nobility 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

of in this kingdom and grant, constitute and 

ordain unto him the title of (Lord) , (Baron) 

of . Sir Merlin, you may give him the parch- 
ments of his nobility. Sir and Sir , 

you will escort him to a seat among his peers. 

Explanation 

Besides the degrees of Page, Esquire and Knight, 
the order has a series of honorable ranks called the 
Peerage. They are in order as follows: Baronet, 
Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke and Prince. 
The lowest of these, Baronet, is given by the local 
castle. The rest are given by the order. They are 
achieved as follows, being arranged so that they are 
open to the individual member as well as to the boys 
who meet in Castle : 

Baronet 

The model Castle Constitution says : ' ' When a 
great deed of brawn or brain or knightliness hath 
been done by a brother it shall be told to Merlin and 
by him to the King, etc. Then for one whole con- 
clave shall he be hailed as Sir Galahad and all his 
life long thereafter he shall be a Baronet." The 
local castle thus honors with the Siege Perilous its 
achievements. (For conferring this rank see chap- 
ter X.) 

Baron 

The order gives the rank of Baron as follows: for 
long service (for active membership in the order three 
years) ; for distinguished service to the order; to any 
person who founds a castle; for victory in inter-cast] e 
athletics; for completing the first Reading Course, 
101 



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presented by the local Merlin or by the International 
King Arthur, or for satisfactory evidence that one 
has won a " coup," for boys 14 to 18, in the Wood- 
craft Indians. 

Viscount 

The order gives this rank ; to the head of a County 
Palatine ; for maintaining three castles ; for victory in 
inter-castle literary or oratorical tournaments; for 
completing a second Reading Course ; for satisfactory 
evidence that one has won a " grand coup," for 
boys 14 to 18, in the Woodcraft Indians. (See 
chapter IV.) 

Earl 

The order gives this rank : when members become of 
age ; after active membership for five years ; for com- 
pleting a third Reading Course; for three " grand 
coups " in the Woodcraft Indians. 

Marquis 
The order gives this rank: for achieving the Siege 
Perilous in a castle thrice and to Merlins of provinces 
(or groups of castles) of the order. 

Duke 
The order gives this rank, at its option, not for any 
specified effort, but for such remarkable service to 
the order, such knightly achievement, or such heroic 
deeds as it desires to honor. A Duke is ex-offlcio a 
Chancellor of the order. 

Prince 
The order gives this rank: (the full title is Prince 
Galahad of Caerleon) not oftener than once a year 

102 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

and to no more than one person a year, to one who 
shall be adjudged to have been that year the most 
knightly of all the brotherhood. 

Titles 
A Baronet may write " Bart." after his name and 
should be enrolled by his rank in the castle roll. A 
Baron is to be spoken of as a " Lord," a Viscount as 
" Count," an Earl as " Earl," etc. They are ad- 
dressed as " your Lordship," if that doesn't seem too 
humorous. A Baron assumes the name of his castle 
to add to his title. Thus, Frank Percy on joining 
the knighthood chooses the title Gareth and becomes 
" Sir Gareth." Being raised to the Siege Perilous, 
he adds " Bart." Being raised to the Barony, and 
being a member of Castle Perth, he is " Sir Gareth, 
Baron of Perth." If he attains an Earldom he is 
" Earl of Perth," etc. He is so enrolled in his 
Castle and by the International King of the order ' ' at 
Caerleon " (the seat of the order; the word means: 
" Castle of the Legions "). 

Details 
The International King depends upon the judgment 
of local Merlins as to the success with which any mem- 
ber has met any of these tests, and he signs and for- 
wards the diplomas without question, but he expects 
that the contests will be of considerable difficulty. 
For instance, to " read " a reading course means to 
have passed as thorough an examination upon it as 
upon a high school English text. A reading course 
should include at least five books. The following are 
recommended for the first course: 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



1. Roosevelt and Lodge's Hero Tales of American 
History. 

2. Harding's Story of the Middle Ages. 

3. Charles Reade's The Cloister and the Hearth. 

4. Kipling's Captains Courageous. 

5. The Gospel according to Lnke. 

To have been " an active member " for three, 
four or five years should mean a certain standard of 
conduct and attainment in the castle. Not the length 
of time alone but the development of character must 
be considered. 

The " coups " of the Woodcraft Indians refer to 
certain scientific tests of boyish attainment in ath- 
letics, campcraft and woodcraft which have been 
devised by Mr. Ernest Thompson-Seton, who is much 
interested in our order and who has given permission 
for their use. It is not meant that one must have 
actually been a member of the Woodcraft Indians to 
be entitled to those honors, but that one should have 
proven that he has done the things which in that 
organization entitle one to " coups." What these 
accomplishments are may be found out by sending 
25 cents to headquarters, for the " Birchbark Book." 

The members of the Peerage are entitled to wear 
special decorations furnished by the order, and to 
have special diplomas, also furnished from the cen- 
tral office. If the badges are made locally, they 
should conform to the following scheme of color: 

Page, blue. 

Esquire, red. 

Knight, white. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Baronet, gold bar across color of rank. (This 
means that a Page who has achieved the Siege 
Perilous shall wear a gold bar across his blue badge, 
etc.) 

Baron, purple. 

Viscount, yellow. 

Earl, lavender. 

Marquis, light blue. 

Duke, crimson. 

Prince, red velvet. 



105 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



XII 

A FORM FOR CORONATIONS 

A " coronation " is simply an installation service, 
and, when held in the fall as a public exercise, has 
great value in helping the boys see the responsibilities 
of their offices, in making a good beginning for the 
year's work, and in impressing the public, and es- 
pecially boys not yet members, with the value and 
dignity of the order. 

Opening of Conclave 

King— Sir Knights, Esquires and Pages! 

All— Hail to the King! 

King — I am about to open a conclave of Castle 
, No. — , Knights of King Arthur. 

Sir Heralds, proclaim the purpose of our ancient 
order. 

Herald of the Cross— We be joined hand and 
heart to achieve Christian knightliness. What harmeth 
body, defileth tongue, or doeth ill to mind cometh 
not to our conclave. 

Herald of the Flag— To the great Republic we 
avow allegiance, its flag our banner, its chief our 
chieftain, its glory our knightly quest. 

All— For these ends and by these means we pledge 
our hands, our hearts, and our manly honor to our 
ancient order. 

106 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Evening Worship 
King— Sir Merlin, lead our evening worship. 

(Note.— The following or any other responsive reading suit- 
able for the service may be used. The whole worship should 
be conducted with the greatest dignity and reverence, the 
Castle standing during the reading and hymn and kneeling in 
knightly fashion during the prayer.) 

Merlin— Glory to God in the highest! 
All — And on earth peace, good-will toward men. 
Merlin— Israel, trust in the Lord. 
All— He is their help and their shield. 
Merlin— house of Aaron, trust in the Lord. 
All— He is their help and their shield. 
Merlin— Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. 
All— He is their help and their shield. 
Merlin— The Lord hath been mindful of us. 
All — He will bless us. 

Merlin— O come, let us sing unto the Lord. 
All — Let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of 
our Salvation. 

Hymn 

Merlin— Create in me a clean heart, God. 

All— And renew a right spirit within me. 

Merlin— Let us pray. 

All— Almighty God, who hast called us, Thy 
young learning-Knights, to become disciples of loy- 
alty, chivalry and service, bless and prosper us as we 
assemble at this conclave, and help us so to conduct 
ourselves in an orderly, attentive and obedient man- 
ner, at this and all other times, that we may be fitted 
for the service of Thy blessed Kingdom in this world, 

107 



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may be adorned with the virtues of Christian knight- 
liness, and may finally attain, in company with the 
brave, the true and the good of all ages, to a life of 
higher service and a state of endless felicity ; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

All — Amen. 

Merlin — Grant, Lord, that those who are now 
about to be invested with the government of this Castle 
may be faithful in the fulfillment of their duties and 
responsibilities and labor earnestly for the welfare 
of the Castle and our order, in the name of Jesus. 
Amen. 

{Here follows the Lord's Prayer in unison.) 

Hymn 

King— Sir Constable, you will conduct the brethren 
in regular order from the hall. Sir Chamberlains, 
you will prepare our Castle hall. 

{All march out.) 

Recess 

(Note.— The Castle retires to the robing-room. Here the 
retiring officers divest themselves of the insignia of their offices, 
which the Heralds return to the hall of conclave, the King's 
robe, sword, etc., on the throne; the insignia of the other 
officers and the Castle banners in their respective places. Seats 
are arranged for the Castle members according to their offices. 
The service is made more impressive if Kay escorts the officers- 
elect to these seats in order of office, the lowest coming first, 
leading up to the King who enters last. For the installation 
Merlin or the Pastor stands within the brotherhood circle be- 
fore the Eound Table and Kay conducts the candidates before 
him as directed. Everything being ready and in order, Merlin 
declares the recess ended. The Castle marches in, King is 
seated.) 

Merlin— Sir Kay, you may bring hither the Cham- 
berlains newly chosen. 

108 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Kay — Sir Merlin, I present to you Sirs , , 

, , — — , , , who have been elected 

Chamberlains of this Castle. 

Merlin — Sirs, to you who are to hold the important 
office of Chamberlains of this Castle falls the responsi- 
ble task of inducting paynims into the membership of 
our most ancient and noble order. From you they 
will learn the first duties of knighthood and from 
your example they will gain courage to undertake 
them. Be vigorous in your duties, but temper vigor 
with tenderness. Sir Kay, will give you your seats. 

Merlin— Sir Kay, you may bring here the Her- 
alds newly chosen. 

Kay— Sir Merlin, I present to you Sirs and 

, who have been chosen Heralds of this Castle. 

Merlin — Sirs, you have been chosen Heralds, to 
serve Sir Kay the Seneschal. In olden times the 
Heralds were among the bravest and most important 
of the King's soldiers. To them fell special and con- 
fidential service for their monarch. In our day you 
serve the Seneschal. From him you receive orders 
to proclaim conclave, and to do such other service 
as he may deem important for the welfare of the 
Castle. Further, you are given charge of our Castle 
banners and it is your duty not only to carry them 
in procession, but to see that they are properly re- 
spected and cared for. 

Sir Herald of the Cross (Merlin here places in his 
hands the Castle tanner), into your hands do I de- 
liver our Castle banner. Its red field signifies cour- 
age, faithfulness, sacrifice, and its white cross stands 
for purity. Without courage one cannot be pure 
and without purity there can be no other virtue. Re- 

109 



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member the words of our constitution : We be joined 
hand and heart to achieve Christian knightliness. 
What harmeth body, defileth tongue or doeth ill to 
mind cometh not to our conclave. 

Sir Herald of the Flag, into your hands do I en- 
trust the flag of our country. See that it is always 
honored, and bear in mind the words of our consti- 
tution: To the great Republic we avow allegiance, 
its flag our banner, its chief our chieftain, its glory 
our knightly quest. 

Sir Kay will conduct you to your stations. 

Merlin— Sir Kay, you may bring hither the Chan- 
cellors newly chosen. 

Kay — Sir Merlin, I present to you Sirs , , 

, who have been chosen Chancellors of this Castle. 

Merlin— Sirs, the duties devolving upon the Chan- 
cellors are of the deepest import. The Chamberlains 
are our ministers to the paynims, our Heralds bear 
the sacred symbols of our loyalty, but with you rests 
the very life of our castle. You are the King's 
counsellors. In war, in peace, in the daily business 
of the castle your activity and wisdom determine its 
success and triumph or its failure and ignominy. 
You have won these honors by long fidelity. Let 
that fidelity be to us the guaranty of further faith- 
ful service. Assume your places, next below the 
throne. 

(If a new Seneschal assumes office.) 

Merlin— Sir Kay, you may bring here your suc- 
cessor. Sir Kay, give to your successor the Castle 
rolls [and commit to him the Exchequer]. (To the 
new Seneschal) To you, Sir, the King has given a 
place of greatest responsibility. [You are entrusted 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

with the Castle exchequer. Be honest and just.] You 
are entrusted with the Castle roll. Keep it spotless. 
The Castle hall is in your care. See that it be ever 
in readiness. To you, sir, much has been given, and 
of you much will be required. As the chief servitor 
of the King, take your seat by my side at the head 
of the Table Round. 

Merlin— Sir Knights, Esquires and Pages, rise. 

Sir Kay, you may escort hither the Queens of 
Avilion. 

Kay— Sir Merlin, I present to you the Queens of 
Avilion. 

Merlin— Fair ladies, you have done us the honor 
of appearing at the Court of King Arthur, as our 
patron ladies and as guardians of our King. Sir 
Knights, Esquires and Pages, draw your swords, in 
token of our pledge of chivalry to woman and of 
allegiance to our Queens. Chancellors, give their 
Highnesses place beside King Arthur's throne. ( They 
surround the empty throne. The Castle is seated.) 

Merlin— Sir Kay, you may inform Sir Pendragon, 
our King, that the Castle awaits his coming. 

(The Castle is arranged in double line, facing, with swords 
drawn and arched. The new King walks up the line, and as 
he stops before the throne and turns, facing the Castle, the 
shout is raised:) 

All— Hail to the King! 
Kay— Sir Merlin, our King. 

(The Castle swings back into the form of a crescent, pre- 
senting arms.) 

Merlin— You, Sir, are to sit in Arthur's seat, at 
the head of the fair order of the Table Round, a 
glorious company, the flower of men. Be thou in 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



truth a King, and we will work thy will who love 
thee. Take thou thy sword, Excalibur. Take thou 
and strike ! The time to cast away is yet far off. (A 
Queen girds him with Excalibur.) Take unto thee 
the royal robes, and clothe thyself as King. (An- 
other Queen robes him.) Take thy crown, and reign. 
(The third Queen crowns him, as he kneels.) (To 
the Castle. ) Come, and let us give fealty to our King. 

(All gather close in front of the throne, kneeling on one 
knee, with swords presented. As the King extends both hands, 
silently, a beam of light is flashed down upon the group of the 
King and the Queens.) 

King (raps for the Castle to be seated) —Sir , 

I have chosen you to be Sentinel of this Castle. Your 
post is one of honor as well as danger. You will 
guard the entrance to this council-chamber that none 
may enter save those who have the right. Be vigilant. 
Sir Kay will conduct you to your post of duty. 

Sir , I have chosen you to be Constable of 

this Castle. You will assist me in keeping order and 
duly report any unruly or disorderly conduct. Sir 
Kay will conduct you to your station. 

Address or Other Program for the Evening 
Closing of conclave. 



112 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

XIII 

A FORM FOR INSTITUTING A NEW CASTLE 

The boys, with their Merlin, come to the Castle hall 
and one of their number is chosen to go through the 
form of initiation up to the point where the King 
says : ' ' Sir Kay, read to him our covenant. ' ' Instead, 
the King says : 

King — Rise, lad, and be attentive while I read from 
the words of King Arthur himself. {Beads.) 
1 ' I was the first of all the Kings who drew 
The knighthood errant of this realm and all 
The realms together under me, their Head, 
In that fair order of my Table Round, 
A glorious company, the flower of men, 
To serve as model for the mighty world, 
And be the fair beginning of a time. 
I made them lay their hands in mine and swear 
To reverence the King, as if he were 
Their conscience, and their conscience as their King, 
To break the heathen and uphold the Christ, 
To ride abroad redressing human wrongs, 
To speak no slander, no, nor listen to it, 
To honor his own word as if his God's, 
To lead sweet lives in purest chastity, 
To love one maiden only, cleave to her, 
And worship her by years of noble deeds. 
Not only to keep down the base in man, 
But teach high thought and amiable words, 
And courtliness and the desire of fame, 
And love of truth, and all that makes a man ! ' ' 

{From " Guinevere.") 

113 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Lad, lay thy hands in mine and swear : to reverence 
thy King and thy conscience as thy King, to seek 
high thought and love of truth, and follow all that 
makes a man. Do you thus swear ? 

Lad— I do. 

All— We are witness. 

King — Paynims, approach the throne. 

(The members of the neiv Castle come forward.) 

King— Kneel. Raise your right hands. Do you 
all take the Page's oath of loyalty and service to our 
ancient order? 

The New Castle— We do. 

All— We are witness! 

King — Rise. Join hands in a circle of brotherhood 
and repeat after Sir Kay the words he shall give 
you. 

Kay (reads) : 

This brotherhood is of the Order of the Knights of 
King Arthur. We be called Castle , No. — . 

We be joined hand and heart to achieve Christian 
knightliness— ( Art. 2 ) . 

Arthur is our King. He wieldeth Excalibur and 
ruleth at conclave — 

Merlin serveth us. He keepeth our rolls and giveth 
us counsel— (Art. 4). 

What harmeth body, defileth tongue, or doeth ill 
to mind cometh rot to our conclave. 

Our arms be a cross maltese, argent, upon a field 
gules. 

Our legend, " My sword shall be bathed in heaven." 

To the great Republic we vow our allegiance, its 
flag our banner, its chief our chieftain, its glory our 
knightly quest. For these ends and by these means 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

we pledge our hands, our hearts arid our manly honor 
to our ancient order. 

King— Sir Kay shall read to you your royal 
charter. 

Kay (reads it aloud and then gives it to the Merlin 
of the new Castle.) 

King— And now, Sir Seneschal, present these Pages 
to those who have honor in our Castles. 

Kay (introduces them to the patrons of his own 
Castle, as follows) : 

Kay— First, Merlin, " The Mage at Arthur's 
Court, (1) 
The most famous man of all those times, 
Who knew the range of all their arts, 
Had built the King his havens, ships and halls, 
"Was also bard and knew the starry heavens; 
The people call'd him wizard." (2) 
' ' And near him stood the Lady of the Lake, 
Who knows a subtler magic than his own — 
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful. 
She gave the King his huge cross-hilted sword, 
Whereby to drive the heathen out." (3) 
"And like the cross, her great and goodly arms 
Stretched under all the court and did uphold it." (4) 
We have also our three Queens of Avilion— 
' ' Down from the casement over Arthur smote 
Flame-color, vert, and azure, in three rays, 
One falling upon each of three fair Queens, 
Who stood in silence near his throne, the friends 
Of Arthur, gazing on him,, tall, with bright 
Sweet faces who will help him at his need." (5) 
This is the Siege Perilous. 
In Arthur's hall—" there stood a vacant chair 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Fashion 'd by Merlin ere he past away, 
And carven with strange figures ; and in and out 
The figures, like a serpent, ran a scroll 
Of letters in a tongue no man could read. 
And Merlin call 'd it ' The Siege Perilous, 
Perilous for good and ill ; for there, ' he said, 
' No man could sit but he should lose himself. ' ' ' 
And therein sits only the pure Sir Galahad who losing 
himself finds his life. 

King— Pages, present yourselves to Sir Kay for 
enrollment. (All enroll in the new Castle's roll book.) 

King— Sir Knights, Esquires and Pages of Castle 
— (old Castle). 

All {rising) — Hail to the King! (They encircle 
the neiv Castle.) 

King— We now, the members of Castle (old Castle), 
give a hearty welcome to the members of Castle (new 
Castle). We are glad to receive you into our order. 
May you be loyal to your Castle, to your order, to 
yourselves, and to your King. Sit now in the circle 
of the Round Table at our noble conclave. 



Quotations: 1. Gareth and Lynette. 2. Merlin and Vivien. 
3. Coming of Arthur. 4. Gareth and Lynette. 5. Coming of 
Arthur. 6. Holy Grail. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



XIY 

SUGGESTIVE METHODS 

We extract several of these suggestions from re- 
ports of Merlins that have come to ns. 

Open Conclaves 

A line of very successful effort in which the boys 
have engaged is the " open court.' 7 Our castle by- 
laws provide that " open courts may be held at the 
discretion of the castle not oftener than once in two 
months.'' To these open courts each of the boys of 
the castle invites one of the young girls of the Sunday 
school. Although the attendance is not strictly confined 
to our own girls, they are usually the ones selected. 
The members of the castle wear their full regalia and 
the parish hall is arranged as if for a meeting, only 
the ritual is not used, but a special ceremonial suitable 
to the occasion is substituted, in which the King wel- 
comes " the ladies " to " the castle hall." Some of 
the details of two courts may interest you. 

An " Autumn Court " was held in November and 
the hall was decorated with corn stalks, pumpkins, 
etc.; jack-o 'lanterns were placed on the window sills 
and suspended from the roof trusses. At a given 
signal the electric lights were turned off and while 
the room was lighted only by the jack-o 'lanterns there 
was " a ghost walk." The curtain was raised, while 
the hall was still darkened, and a group of witches 
was seen about a caldron, while another witch was 

117 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



seen to fly across the stage on the traditional broom- 
stick, bearing a jack-o 'lantern. Various Hallowe'en 
games were played and there was dancing. 

On the evening of St. Valentine's Day was held 
" The Court of Saint Valentine." The boys invited 
the girls by sending them valentines and the girls 
responded by sending a ribbon which the knight was 
to wear as his lady's colors. The hall was decorated 
with hearts of red and hearts of yellow (these being 
the castle's colors), which were fastened on the walls 
and (very small ones) sprinkled on the floor. A 
huge envelope, addressed to " The Ladies of Castle 
Shalott," and made of white paper fastened over a 
wooden framework, occupied the proscenium-arch, and 
through this sprang a little cupid, who distributed 
the favors. Prizes were awarded for the best design 
for a valentine, for the best rhyme and for the best 
markmanship in shooting at a heart-shaped target 
with cupid 's bow and arrow. There were other fea- 
tures, such, for example, as the refreshments which 
were in heart shapes and the castle's colors, but the 
foregoing will be sufficient to give the idea. 

—Rev. C. F. Walker, Cleveland, 0. 

Earning the Degrees 
Advancement to the rank of Esquire and Knight 
must be earned. One thousand points are required 
for initiation to a higher rank. These points are 
earned in the following ways: attendance at conclave, 
at Sunday school, and at church; punctuality in the 
above three things ; deportment in conclave and Sun- 
day school (this last has transformed our class of 
" bad boys ") ; study of the Sunday school lesson at 

118 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

home; reading the Bible; reading books about King 
Arthur and his knights (of which I have several to 
loan) ; acting as peacemaker; sitting in the Siege Peri- 
lous (if they can attain unto it) ; going on quest 
(returning written answers to the quests I give them 
each week) • and for making their own spears and 
swords. I keep a record of each boy's work. Earn- 
ing the necessary number of points for initiation to 
the Knight degree is made more difficult as points 
are allowed for fewer things. 

As an incentive to the boys to work I allow the one 
earning the largest number of points each month to 
choose a Lady of the Lake, preferably his mother, 
who is allowed to attend the conclave. This is for 
the Pages. The Esquire having the most points 
gained during the month chooses a Queen of Avilion. 
To be made a Knight he must be represented by three 
Queens of Avilion. This gives the mothers and 
friends of the boys a chance to see what we are 
doing and to have the privilege because the boy she 
is interested in has earned it for her. I recommend 
that scheme; it is a good one. 

When the castle was instituted we elected a King 
to serve until some of the boys should become Esquires, 
the one having the highest number of points was then 
made King until such time as one becomes a Knight 
when he, by right of precedence, will become King. 
I try by this to impress on their minds that in this 
world they get just what they earn, and deserve. 
The ex-King is called Sir Uther and is honored as a 
sort of Past Master. 

—Rev. Guy V. Hoard, Crystal Falls, Mich. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



The Service of the Pages 
We open the conclaves in the degree of Esquire, 
then admit the Pages who enter singly, salute the 
King, advance to the Esquires whom they serve, 
kneel and receive his sword and shield, and then 
stand behind his chair till the Pages are dismissed, 
after which the conclave is closed. 

—Rev. Guy V. Hoard, Crystal Falls, Mich. 

Succession in Office 
We advance our officers in this order : 1st, Sentinel ; 
2nd, Seneschal; 3rd, Constable; 4th, King. 

—Rev. W. R. Bosard, Grandin, Mo. 

The Ex-King 
We call the ex-King " Sir Uther," and when a 
new " Sir Uther " is made, advance the last one to 
the Peerage. 

—Rev. W. R. Bosard, Grandin Mo. 

A Salutation 

In the short dedication of the Idylls of the King, 
is this line, " Wearing the white flower of a blame- 
less life." 

We have made use of that as a sort of ideal up to 
which every boy is expected to try to measure. In 
order to keep this thought before them, I have made 
it the basis of a sign of salutation, which we use in 
the meeting and whenever we happen to meet outside. 
When I meet one of " my boys " I raise my left 
hand to the lapel of my coat. He understands that 
to mean the interrogation " Are you wearing the 
120 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

white flower of a blameless life?" He is expected to 
reply by placing his left hand over his heart, signify- 
ing ' ' I am. ' ' I respond with a similar gesture, mean- 
ing ' ' So am I. ' ' The boys seem to associate the idea 
with the sign constantly, and I believe it is a good 
way to keep them in mind of the thing for which the 
society stands. 

—Rev. Guy V. Hoard, Crystal Falls, Mich. 

The Consistory 

In the Epworth Memorial Methodist Church in 
Cleveland ten castles, representing ten Sunday school 
classes, were all federated together as " the Epworth 
Court of King Arthur." In charge of them were a 
boys' committee, which raised the finances, a boys' 
committee composed of those in the church who were 
studying and working at the boy problem, and the 
consistory, consisting of the pastors, the boys' com- 
mittee and the members of the Knight's degree, who 
conferred the degree of knighthood. The consistory 
met but twice a year. All the boys' parents were in- 
vited and every Knight was supposed to be present. 
This alliance of the boys' classes with each other and 
of the boys with the leaders of the church did much 
to encourage their incorporation in the church life. 
— Condensed from Rev. W. S. Mitchell, Meadville, 
Pa. 

A Castle Workshop 

A Merlin who has been the means of starting four 
castles among some exceedingly rough boys says : 

A workshop is of inestimable value to a castle. It 
gives to a group of boys some common activity. It 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



plays the same part in boys' work that serving for a 
common, good cause does in woman's work in the 
church. It makes the club independent and enables 
it to do many things which would be impossible were 
the club dependent upon dues or upon the generosity 
of more or less interested elders. It places the poor 
boy on the same level as the rich boy. Such manual 
work teaches a great, new, industrial and economic 
truth, namely, the value of co-operative work in the 
world of real life. 

—Rev. A. E. Holt, Ph. D., Pueblo, Colo. 

Castle Handicraft 
Each boy begins by making a shield out of hard 
wood for himself. He does all the work on it, stain- 
ing and waxing it and emblazoning it with his crest. 
This being done he becomes a Craftsman, and pro- 
ceeds to make a mission chair for his own use in con- 
claves. His chair being finished, he makes a small 
table to stand in front of his chair. These tables are 
sections of a huge design which when completed will 
make a huge Table Round. The Master Craftsmen, 
those who have completed chair and table and their 
quota of the throne, are to begin Venetian bent iron 
work. These will produce antique lanterns and orna- 
ments for the castle hall.— John L. Alexander, Y. M. 
C. A. Secretary, Spring Forge, Pa. 

To Teach the Arthur Legends in One Year 

The entire Arthur story is compassed in the 

" Idylls " in a single year, beginning at New Year's. 

Four of the dates are definitely fixed for us. It was 

on the night of the New Year that Merlin stooped 

122 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

and caught the babe, that came to shore on the ninth 
wave, and cried, " The King." It was in April that 
Launcelot brought Guinevere to the court, and in 
May that the great King was wedded. So far there 
is no uncertainty : as the coronation and the founding 
of the Eound Table came before the marriage, we 
might place them in February and March. Enid and 
Geraint were wedded at Whitsuntide; that marks 
June. The storm that struck the oak where Merlin 
sat with Vivien was surely a July storm. It was full 
summer when the Lily Maid came to Camelot, and 
the Queen watched the slowly moving barge from a 
window framed in vine leaves; we may suppose it 
was August. The Holy Grail passed through the 
great hall in late summer, so we may place it in Sep- 
tember. But the next date is more assured: the last 
tournament was fought amid the yellowing leaves, 
and the King came back in a " death dumb autumn 
dripping gloom " to find the great Queen's bower 
dark. This marks October. It was in the mists of 
November that he bade the Queen farewell. Then 
further west he pursued Modred till he fought his 
last fight on 

' ' That day when the great light of heaven 
Burned at his lowest in the rolling year. ' ' 

Heraldry 
Castle Tahoma, 499, Tacoma, Wash., has a unique 
plan. Each boy, when admitted to the castle as a 
Page, is allowed to choose, or if desired Merlin may 
assign, with the character name, a crest. This is em- 
broidered on the front of his helmet, and is regularly 
registered in the castle records. When he becomes 

123 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



an Esquire, he is given a shield, blank except for the 
canton of the order, but with the crest above it in 
proper form. This escutcheon is nicely drawn and 
colored on card 5x7, framed and hung on the castle 
wall over his seat. When he is knighted the shield 
is no longer blank, but he is given a suitable device, 
by order of Knights, which is his coat-of-arms. This 
is hung on the castle wall, and he is allowed to have 
a copy to hang in his room at home. This design 
may be altered as he obtains additional honors, so 
that his record is shown on the shield. For instance 
one knight, whose original crest was a fir tree proper, 
was allowed, upon being seated in the Siege Perilous, 
to make his crest " Out of a Baron's Coronet, a Fir 
tree proper," thus putting a coronet instead of the 
customary wreath, and so showing the honor to which 
he has attained. 

The Emblems in Flowers 
The members of Whitby, 558, Wauregan, Conn., 
took care of the church lawn and maintained two beds 
of flowers, one in the form of shield, the other of a 
cross. 



124 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



XV 

BOOKS, PICTURES AND GAMES 
Books 

No one should undertake to establish and carry on 
a castle who has not to some extent become familiar 
with the literature of the Arthurian legends. The 
more you know them and about them the better fitted 
you are to interest the boys. More people fail be- 
cause they rush headlong into the establishment of a 
castle without first knowing some of the legends and 
the age and characteristics of chivalry than from any 
other cause. Therefore, before you even suggest the 
establishment of a castle, learn some of the Arthurian 
legends. 

Of course you know that the foundation of these 
tales is the " Morte d 'Arthur," by Sir Thomas 
Malory. You may obtain a complete edition of this 
work for any price from 80 cents to $4.80. But you 
may not care to read the whole work as it was issued 
in this old English form. If not, then secure No. 
158 of the Riverside Literature Series, published by 
Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston, which will cost you 
15 cents net, postpaid. This admirable little volume 
will give you the books of Merlin and Sir Balin from 
Malory, with introductory sketch by Prof. Child. 
Caxton's preface, and a glossary, which will enable 
you to ascertain the meaning of unfamiliar words. 
This will inform you as to the origin and significance 
of the tales. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



For the period in which they were developed see 
Hallam's " Middle Ages," or Harding's " The Story 
of the Middle Ages." The latter 50c. net. 

The legends have been rendered into modern Eng- 
lish by a number of writers. One of the most 
perfect is " The Boys' King Arthur," by Sidney 
Lanier. Price, $2. For one who loves beautiful 
English, this is delightful. Unfortunately the younger 
boys do not care for it. 

Excellent simple versions for use in the castle or 
the home reading of the boys are: 

" King Arthur and His Noble Knights," by Mary 
Macleod, $1. 

" King Arthur and His Knights," by Maude L. 
Radford, and " King Arthur and His Court," by 
Frances Nimmo Green. Either 75 cents. 

" The Court of King Arthur " and " Knights of 
the Round Table," by W. H. Frost, price, $1.50 each, 
are liked by many. 

" The Story of King Arthur and His Knights," 
" The Champions of the Round Table," and " The 
Story of Sir Lancelot and His Companions, ' ' by How- 
ard Pyle, price, each $2.50 net, with their attractive 
illustrations, are among the most popular books for 
the boys themselves to read. 

Other renderings of the Arthur story, which boys 
will enjoy reading, are : 

" Stories of King Arthur's Knights." Mary Mac- 
gregor. Dutton. 50 cents. For young boys especially, 
as the language is very simple. The illustrations are 
beautifully colored. 

1 ' Tales of King Arthur. ' ' Margaret Yere Farring- 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

ton. Putnam's. A very attractive volume, nicely 
illustrated, $1.25 net. 

The poets have contributed more than all others 
to the popularization of these old stories. Matthew 
Arnold in " Tristram and Iseult," Mr. Swinburne in 
" Tristram of Lyonesse " and " Tale of Balen," Wil- 
liam Morris, Blackmore, Heber, Bulwer, Richard 
Hovey, all have used material from Malory, while 
Tennyson in ■ ' The Idylls of the King ' ' availed him- 
self of the same mine. Read " The Arthur of the 
English Poets," by Howard Maynadier, price $1.50 
net postpaid. This is the first attempt to trace the 
complete history of the Arthurian legend. Every 
Merlin should own it. 

You may obtain Tennyson's Idylls in a variety of 
editions. We particularly commend to your attention 
the Riverside Literature Series Nos. 99 and 156, each 
containing portrait of the poet, with introduction and 
notes by Prof. Rolfe, of Cambridge. Each costs 15 
cents in paper, or combined and bound in cloth for 
$1. They are invaluable to any one who desires to 
make a careful study of the poems. 

Lowell's " Vision of Sir Launfal " is another poem 
deserving the attention of those who are reading these 
tales. See Riverside Literature Series No. 30, price, 
15 cents. 

Bullfinch's "Age of Chivalry " is one of the books 
that every Merlin should own, as it will make him 
realize something of the influence of this age in civil- 
izing the world, and perhaps appreciate something of 
the work he is to do with the boys of the present age. 
Of this the latest and best edition is that edited by 
Rev. J. L. Scott, D. D. Price, $1.25. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



The following list of books k ' for the story hour," 
containing Arthurian material, was compiled at the 
Carnegie Library, Pittsburg, 1902-3. 
Allen, G. C. 

Tales from Tennyson. 
Brooks, Edward. 

Story of King Arthur and the Knights of the 
Table Round. 
Bulfinch, Thomas. 

Age of Chivalry; ed. by E. E. Hale. 
Chapin, A. A. 

Tristan and Isolde. (In her Wonder tales from 
Wagner, p. 103.) 
Church, A. J. 

King Arthur and the Round Table. (In his 
Heroes of chivalry and romance, p. 63.) 
Farrington, M. V. 

Tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the 
Round Table. 
Frost, W. H. 

Court of King Arthur. 

King of the Grail. (In his Wagner story book, 

p. 215.) 
Knights of the Round Table. 
Love potion. (In his Wagner story book, 
p. 167.) 

GUERBER, H. M. A. 

Merlin. (In her Legends of the middle ages, 
p. 204.) 

The Round Table. (In her Legends of the mid- 
dle ages, p. 214.) 

Titurel and the Holy Grail. (In her Legends of 
the middle ages, p. 182.) 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Haaren, J. H. 

Arthur's victories over his rebellions kings. (In 

his Ballads and tales, p. 33.) 
Knights of the Round Table. (In his Ballads 

and tales, p. 41.) 
Legends of King Arthur. (In his Ballads and 
tales, p. 27.) 
Hanson, C. H 

Stories of the Days of King Arthur. 
Higginson, T. W. 

The Half-man. (In his Tales of the enchanted 

islands of the Atlantic, p. 74.) 
King Arthur at Avalon. (In his Tales of the 

enchanted islands of the Atlantic, p. 83.) 
Merlin the Enchanter. (In his Tales of the en- 
chanted islands of the Atlantic, p. 48.) 
Sir Launcelot of the Lake. (In his Tales of the 
enchanted islands of the Atlantic, p. 63.) 
Mabinogion. 

Knightly legends of Wales ; ed. by Sidney Lanier. 
Macleod, Mary. 

Book of King Arthur and his Noble Knights. 
Malory, Sir Thomas. 

Boy's King Arthur; ed. by Sidney Lanier. 
Sword Excalibur. (In Palmer. Stories from the 
classic literature of many nations, p. 271. ) 
Maud, Constance. 

Isolda. (In her Wagner's heroines, p. 191.) 
Parsifal. (In her Wagner's heroes, p. 9.) 
Menefee, Maud. 

Parsifal. (In her Child stories from the mas- 
ters, p. 45.) 

129 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Percy, Thomas, ed. 

King Ryenee's Challenge. (In his Reliques of 

ancient English poetry, v. 2, p. 121.) 
Marriage of Sir Gawaine. (In his Boy's Percy; 
ed. by Sidney Lanier, p. 322.) 
The same. (In his Reliques of ancient English 
poetry, v. 3, p. 112.) 
Sir Lancelot du Lake. r (In his Reliques of an- 
cient English poetry, v. 1, p. 146.) 
Scott, Sir Walter. 

Bridal of Triermain. (In his poetical works, 
v. 1, p. 319.) 
Shahan, T. J. ed. 

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round 
Table. (In Aldrich, Young folks' library, v. 6, 
p. 268.) 
Tennyson, Alfred, Lord. 
Idylls of the King. 

Lady of Shalott. (In his poetic and dramatic 
works, p. 27.) 
The same. (In Shute. Land of song, v. 3, 

p. 76.) 
The same. (In Tennyson for the young, p. 20.) 
Morte d 'Arthur. (In his poetic and dramatic 
works, p. 64.) 
The same. (In Arnold & Gilbert. Stepping 

stones to literature, p. 107.) 
The same (In Norton. Heart of oak books, 

v. 4, p. 68.) 
The same, abridged. '(In Haaren. Ballads 
and tales, p. 50.) 

130 



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ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Sir Galahad. (In his poetic and dramatic works, 
p. 101.) 
The same. (In Smite. Land of song, v. 3, 

p. 249.) 
The same. (In Tennyson for the young, p. 25.) 
Wagner, Wilhelm. 

Legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. 
(In his epics and romances of the middle ages, 
p. 419.) 

For the castle library there are the following books 
of fiction, based on the Arthur story or the days of 
chivalry. This list was compiled for us by Frank R. 
Buckalew, Y. M. C. A. secretary and Merlin of Castle, 
Franklin, Pa.: 
Mark Twain. 

Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court. 
Geo. A. Henty. 

Knights of the White Cross. 
Charles J. Lever. 

Knights of Gwynne, 
F. W. Gunsaulus. 

Monk and Knight. 
Mary V. Farrington. 

Otto the Knight. 
Countess de Geulis. 

Knight of the Swan. 
Laura Valentine. 

Knight's Ransom. 
Fouque. 

Magic Ring. 
Peter Boyle. 

Red Knights of Germany. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



C. H. Hanson. 

Stories of the Days of King Arthur. 
Mary M. Sherwood. 

Two Knights of Delary Castle. 
Sara H. Palfrey. 

Herman, or Young Knighthood. 
R. H. Bird. 

Calavar, or Knight of the Conquest. 
Sir W. Scott. 

Ivanhoe. 

Tales of Chivalry. 
A. Conan Doyle. 

The White Company. 

Sir Nigel. 
G. A. Henty. 

Fighting the Saracen, or Boy Knight. 
R. L. Stevenson. 

Black Arrow. 
A splendid illustration of the use of the Siege 
Perilous idea is to be found in Zollinger's, " The 
Widow O'Callaghan's Boys," published by A. C. 
McClurg & Co., Chicago. There the father's chair 
was the seat of honor. All the boys will enjoy it. 

Plays 

" The Young Knight, or How Gareth Won His 
Spurs," by the Rev. James Yeames, Merlin of Castle 
Avalon, No. 448, is a play specially prepared for our 
castles and published by the order, at 25 cents. 

" Alice in Wonderland," arranged from the book 
by Lewis Carroll, by Rev. C. F. Robinson, Merlin of 
Rockrift Castle, No. 805, and first presented by that 
Castle. Published by the order, 25 cents per copy. 

132 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

E. P. Dutton & Co., New York, publish, at 50 cents, 
a book entitled " Little Plays," by Lena Dalkeith, 
which contains " Sir Gareth of Orkney." 

Other plays recommended are: 
Publications of Dick & Fitzgerald, New York: 
Wanted: a Confidential Clerk. 
A Holy Terror. 
April Fools. 
Mischievous Bob. 

Publications of Penn Publishing Co., Philadelphia: 
Case of Smythe vs. Smith. 
Forget-Me-Nots. 
When Doctors Disagree. 

Publications of Walter H. Baker & Co., Boston : 
The Revolving Wedge; a football romance. 
A. Ward 's Wax Figger Show. 
A Town Meeting. 
A New Broom Sweeps Clean. 
Brother Against Brother. 
Gentlemen of the Jury. 
Freedom of the Press. 
The King of the Cannibal Islands. 
A Sea of Troubles. 
What They Did for Jenkins. 
The Humors of the Strike. 
My Lord in Livery. 
Wanted: a Male Cook. 

Other entertainments that are good are : 
Hiawatha Entertainments, by Edgar S. Werner 
& Co., 45 East 29th Street, New York, 35 cents. 
Roll Call of the Nation, by the same, 25 cents. 

133 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Valley Forge, by the same, 15 cents. 

Sketches, Skits and Stunts, by the Perm Pub- 
lishing Co., Philadelphia, 30 cents. 

Pros and Cons (hints for debates), by Hinds, 
Noble & Eldredge, New York, $1.50. 

Three Manuals for Socials, by the United So- 
ciety of Christian Endeavor, Boston, each, 35 
cents. 

Games 
E. H. Arnold. 

Gymnastic Games. Author. New Haven. 
Badminton Library of Sports and Pastimes. Long- 
mans, Green & Co. New York. 
T. B. Benson. 

The Book of Indoor Games. J. B. Lippincott 
& Co. Philadelphia. 
A. M. Chesley. 

Indoor and Outdoor Games and Sports. Ameri- 
can Sports Publishing Co. New York. 
Marion Grey. 

Two Hundred Indoor and Outdoor Games. 
Freidewker Publishing Co. Milwaukee. 
C. A. Harper. 

One Hundred and Fifty Gymnastic Games. G. 
H. Ellis. Boston. 
G. E. Johnson. 

Education by Plays and Games. Ginn & Co. 
New York. 
Mrs. Burton Kingsland. 

The Book of Indoor and Outdoor Games. Dou- 
bleday, Page & Co. New York. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Meredith Nugent. 

New Games and Amusements. The same pub- 
lishers. 

For club handicraft the following are helpful: 
D. C. Beard. 

American Boys' Handy Book. Chas. Scribner's 
Sons. New York. 
A. Russell Bond. 

The Scientific American Boy. Munn & Co. 
New York. 
A. Neely Hall. 

The Boy Craftsman. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard 
Co. Boston. 
T. Larssen. 

Elementary Sloyd in Whittling. Silver, Bur- 
dett & Co. Boston. 
F. G. Sanford. 

Art Crafts for Beginners. Century Co. New 
York. 
Charles G. Wheeler. 

Woodworking for Beginners. G. P. Putnam's 
Sons. New York. 

On Camps the following are safe guides: 
Burt, E. W. 

Camp Fires in the Wilderness. Boston. National 

Sportsman. 1905. 
Eighty Good Times Out Doors. Boston. Heath. 
Hanks, Charles S. 

Camp Kits and Camp Life. Chicago. Sports 
Afield. 1905. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Harvey, A. K. P. 

In the Glow of the Camp Fire. Boston. Na- 
tional Sportsman. 
Kephart, Horace. 

Book of Camping and Woodcraft. New York. 
Field and Stream. 1906. 
Kobinson, E. M. 

Boys as Savages. Association Outlook. July, 
1899. Boys' Camps. Association Boys. 1902. 
Camp Numbers of Association Boys. 
Proceedings of the Camp Conference. W. T. Talbot, 
Secretary, Holderness, N. H. 

On Nature Study: 
Birds and Nature. (A magazine.) Chicago. 

BUTTERFIELD, W. A. 

Baby Bird Finder. Boston, 50 Broomfield St. 
Hemenway, H. D. 

Hints and Helps for Young Gardeners. North- 
ampton, Mass. The Author. 
Hodge, Clifton F. 

Nature Study and Life. Boston. Ginn. 1902. 
Nature Study Series. Boston, 169 Tremont Street. 

Those who wish wisdom in dealing with matters 
about sex and purity in the second degree may de- 
pend upon the following: 

Meyer, F. B 

A Holy Temple. Philadelphia. 1901. 
Morley, M. AY. 

A Song of Life. Chicago. 1S96. 

Life and Love. • Chicago. 1895. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Putnam, Helen C. 

Biologists in Public Schools an Aid to Morality. 
Recent Teaching of Hygiene through Nature 
Study. 52 N. Fourth St., Easton, Pa. 
Scudder, Charles D. 

Handbook for Men. Intl. Y. M. C. A. New 
York. 
Sperry, Lyman B. 

Confidential Talks with Young Men. 
Wilder, Burt G. 

What Young People Should Know. Boston. 
1875. 
Willson, Robert N. 

The American Boy and the Social Evil. Phila- 
delphia. Winston. 1905. 
Hall, G. Stanley. 

How and When to be Frank with Boys. Ladies' 
Home Journal. September, 1907. 
Publications of the Society of Sanitary and Moral 
Prophylaxis. Dr. E. L. Keyes, Jr. 109 East 34th 
Street, New York. 

Those who wish to teach boys in Sunday school by 
more natural methods will be glad to know of some 
recent manuals: 

The Heroes of Israel, by E. Blakeslee, Bible 

Study Union, Boston. 
Travel Lessons on the Old Testament, by William 

Byron Forbush, Underwood & Underwood, New 

York. 
Samuel, Saul and David, by William J. Mutch, 

Christian Nurture, Ripon, Wis. 

137 



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Old Testament Heroes, by John L. Keedy, 

Graded Bible Study Publishing Co., Boston. 
The Heroic Christ, by John L. Keedy, Graded 

Bible Study Publishing Co., Boston. 
The Life of Jesus, by H. W. Gates, University of 

Chicago Press. 
Travel Lessons on the Life of Jesus, by William 

Byron Forbush, Underwood & Underwood, 

New York. 
What Manner of Man Is This? by William E. 

Murray, International Y. M. C. A. Press, New 

York. 
The Life of Christ, with manual methods, by 

Franklin D. Elmes, Bible Study Publishing 

Co., Boston. 
Early Christian Heroes, by John L. Keedy, 

Graded Bible Study Publishing Co., Boston. 
Beacon Lights of Christian History, and Noble 

Lives and Deeds, by Edward A. Horton, 

Boston. 
Text-books of the Young People's Missionary 

Movement, New York City, as issued. 

Some classes are actually conducted as castles in 
the lesson hour, organizing in a simple way as a con- 
clave, and discussing the men and moral points of 
the lesson from the standpoint of knights judging by 
King Arthur's standards. A helpful preliminary to 
any class exercise is to have a knightly biography 
briefly given each Sunday. The comparison of cer- 
tain knights with certain Scripture heroes is helpful. 
The question, " What would King Arthur have done 
in this case ? ' ' always makes a moral issue interesting. 

138 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

" The Boy Problem," $1.10 postpaid, by Dr. For- 
bush, is the only text-book of boy study and boys' 
clubs. 

Work with Boys, quarterly, edited by Mr. Masseck, 
is the periodical organ of American boys' club work. 
$1.00 a year. Separate numbers, at 25 cents each (no 
free sample copies), contain monographs on topics of 
particular interest, to Merlins. The following numbers 
are now available : 

A directory of workers with boys. 

A list of books about boys, and of books for boys. 

Manual training. 

Boys' camps. 

Street boys' clubs. 

Why boys' clubs are necessary. 

Religious work with boys. 

King Arthur's Herald is the monthly news-letter 
of the order. Price 25 cents per year. Especially in- 
teresting to the boys. Each castle should have a club 
of subscribers. 

All these books may be ordered at the headquarters 
of the order. 

Pictures 

Every castle hall should be adorned with beautiful 
pictures. The most familiar and easily obtained is 
Watts' Sir Galahad. You can buy this for one-half 
cent, or one, two, or five cents each. You ought to 
give one to every member of the castle. An artotype, 
size 22x28, large enough for your wall, costs 75 cents. 
Or a really fine print, either domestic or foreign 
made, in permanent colors, in various sizes, may be 
had at prices from $5 upwards. 

Another most appropriate picture is of Vischer'S 

139 



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bronze statue of King Arthur, noted for beauty of 
figure and pose. Prints from 2y 2 cents up. Fine 
prints $2.50 each and upwards. 

There are also the portions of the Abbey series, 
" The Quest of the Grail," from the Boston Public 
Library, several of which have been reproduced in 
the Copley prints, especially " Galahad the Deliv- 
erer," " The Oath of Knighthood," " The Seven 
Sins," and the " Round Table of King Arthur," 
which may be had in prices varying from 50 cents to 
$10 each. All these are admirably adapted for castle 
halls. Send 10 cents to Curtis & Cameron, 18 Pierce 
Building, Boston, for illustrated and descriptive cir- 
culars. 

Rev. J. L. Paton, of England, says: " Striking 
pictures that appeal to the highest moral sense of 
children should be placed around them. All will 
know what I mean in emphasizing the value of such 
pictures who have seen Holman Hunt's picture of 
' Claudio and Isabella/ in which the craven fear 
depicted on Claudio 's face when he says, ' Death is 
a fearful thing,' is so strikingly contrasted with the 
bright, calm courage seen in Isabella's face when she 
responds, 'A Shamed Life is a hateful thing,' or 
who remember the picture of the ' Burning Ship,' 
when the Captain in answer to the boy's appeal that 
he leave the ship with him, says : ' No, my boy ! I 
must be last. That's the way at sea.' No boy who 
has seen these pictures, or such pictures as Watts' 
' Sir Galahad,' and Burne- Jones 's ' Merciful Knight,' 
can ever forget them, and the memory will be an in- 
spiration through life." 

If you cannot easily obtain these or any other pic- 

140 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

tures of which you yourself may have knowledge, 
Mr. Masseck will be very glad to assist you to obtain 
them on the most favorable terms. 

Games 

Amusing " tourneys " or " jousts " may be held 
in the castle hall by having two boys contend against 
each other, seated on the edges of two wash tubs, 
armed with brooms. The object is to overturn the 
stability of one's antagonist by pushing. 

A similar game is played in summer between two 
boys, in bathing suits, perched on two loga and 
armed with spears tipped with boat sponges. 

The pentathlon, a contest for all-round athletes, 
devised by the Y. M. C. A., details of which can be 
secured from any secretary, is an excellent series for 
a tournament. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



XVI 

MUSIC 

When the castle is well started and the first degree 
has been learned, it is desirable to use music both in 
the conclaves and initiations. Each castle should 
have its own castle hymn, original or adopted. The 
deciding on this hymn, and on a hymn which shall 
be each boy 's own, may help the boys to become famil- 
iar with the church hymn book. There may be pro- 
cessional and recessional hymns to open and close the 
conclave. The approach of the King to the castle 
gate at conclaves, or of the candidate for the first 
degree, may be announced by bugle call. The marches 
in the degrees may be accompanied by fife and drum, 
piano, organ or marching song. The following hymns 
are recommended as especially appropriate for these 
various occasions, with tunes in the range of boys' 
voices : 

1 ' The Son of God goes forth to war, ' ' to Crusaders 
or St. Ann's or All Saints' New. 

" Oh, where are kings and empires now," to 
Dundee. 

" beautiful, our Country," to Missionary Hymn 
or Savoy Chapel. 

" Fight the Good Fight." 

" Stand up for Jesus." 

" Not dear their lives accounting," to Aurelia. 

" Soldiers of the Captain." 

142 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

" From age to age they gather all the pure of 
heart and strong," to John Brown's Body. 

" The Battle Hymn of the Republic." 

" March on, soul, with strength," to Arthur's 
Seat. 

" The old year's long campaign is o'er," to Clarion. 

" God who created me nimble and light of limb," 
by H. C. Beeching. 

"0 God of Truth," by Thomas Hughes. 

1 ' Fling out the banner ! let it float, ' ' to Waltham. 

" Brightly beams our banner," to St. Theresa or 
St. Albans. 

" Dare to be a Daniel." 

" Ho, my comrades, see the signal." 

" We march, we march to victory." 

" We are living, we are dwelling in a grand and 
awful time." 

" Lord of Hosts, Almighty King," by Oliver 
Wendell Holmes. 

" Soldiers of Christ, arise." 

' ' City of God, how broad and fair. ' ' 

So helpful is good, spirited singing to the castle 
and so rare are real boys' hymns that we print the 
words of a few, which have been prepared or slightly 
altered for the purpose. 

" Upon King Arthur's Throne " was written by 
the founder for the first castle and has been used 
probably in every castle in every formal conclave 
ever since. The beautiful melody was composed by 
Mr. Sabin, especially for the order, and is the setting 
now generally used. "A Boy's Dream " and " God 
of the Prophets " are especially appropriate during 
the conferring of knighthood. 



Upon King Arthur's Throne 

Dedicated to Knights of King Arthur 



William Byron Forbtjsh 
Tempo di Marcia. 



Wallace A. Sabin, F. R. C. O. 
San Francisco, Cal., 1903 




1 . Up -on KiDg Arthur's throne tonight, The royal sword is 

2. A- bout the an-cient Ta- ble Round The perfect cir - cle 

3. Beneath the white Cross banner now We'll hold the mem' ry 




flash- ing bright,The dew of youth is on us laid, The 
shall be bound. The no - ble names of he -roes bold Well 
of our vow; That Cross to us of Christ shall sing, The 



Upon King Arthur's Throne 




dew ofheav'nup- on our blade.Then lift the heart and raise the 
stain - less bear as they of old. 
first trne knight, the per - feet King. 




love, 



3~* v 



n love, in loy - al- ty. 



The Knights Militant 

Dedicated to Knights of King Arthur 



Words by Wood McCargo, 

Aged 14 

Castle Camelot, 1060 



Music by C. Clifford Bradford 
Castle Hastings, 773 



1. Be bold, ye Knights ; ye Knights, be bold, 

2. Be pure in heart, ye Knights, be pure. 

3. And ye, Knights, in ar - mor bright, 






Be val - iant now as 

The sight of God ye 

Shalt val - iant - ly go 



they of old : 

shall pro - cure, 
forth to fight. 




sword of shame - ful men, 

And thou, in thy bright coat of mail, 

Be pure in heart, and hum - ble pride, 




Thy strength is as the strength of ten. 

Shalt see the Vis - ion of the Grail. 

For God is now up - on your side. 



Sp^iS 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

THE NIGHT SONG OF KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS 
Air: Comrades, when I'm no more drinking 

The shades of night are round us falling, 

The labors of the day are done. 
Whose are those voices softly calling, 

Those faces entering one by one? 

Refrain 

Dear brothers of the past in greeting, 
Our song the tingling stars shall smite, 

Nor time, nor space shall bar our meeting, 
The Table Round is full to-night. 

The youth with hopes of high endeavor, 
Come now to take our ancient vow, 

Their hands like ours, be loyal ever. 

Their hearts be always true as now. — Ref. 

Dear brothers, witness now the token 

The sacred oath, the solemn rite, 
May friendship's ties be never broken; 

The Table Round is full to-night.— Ref. 

And when from out the camp and cloister, 

We fall to struggle and to strife, 
Mem'ry shall make the eye grow moister 

And love inspire the brave man's life . 

Refrain 

Dear brothers, true and tried, we greet you 
Our song the tingling stars shall smite, 

May life with rarest pleasure meet you, 
The Table Round is full to-night. 

— William Byron Forbush. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



A BOY'S DREAM 
Air: Wood worth 

"Just as I am," Thine own to be, 
Friend of the young who lovest me, 
To consecrate myself to Thee, 
O Jesus Christ, I come. 

In the glad morning of my day 
My life to give, my vows to pay, 
With no reserve and no delay, 
With all my heart I come. 

I would live ever in the light, 
I would work ever for the right, 
I would serve Thee with all my might; 
Therefore to Thee I come. 

"Just as I am," young, strong and free, 
To be the best that I can be 
For Truth and Righteousness and Thee, 
Lord of my life I come. 

With many dreams of fame and gold, 
Success and joy to make me bold ; 
But dearer still my faith to hold, 
For my whole life I come. 

And. for Thy sake to win renown. 
And then to take the victor's crown 
And at Thy feet to cast it down, 
O Master, Lord, I come. 

— Marianne Farmingham. 

THE BONNY BRIGHT QUEST 

Air: The Bonny Blue Flag 

Hurrah! my lads, the hunt is up, and we are fast away, 
The foe has drunk his stirrup cup before the break of day; 
Beneath the portals of the wood he flees along the glen ; 
Then up, my boys, the sport is good, and we are gentlemen. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

Refrain 
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! good fellows all we are. 
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrrah, hurrah! companions tried are we. 
Hurrah, hurrahs for the bonny bright Quest that flashes o'er 

the lea. 
Hurrah hurrah! for the bonny bright bond that knits my heart 

to thee. 

Hurrah, my lads, our hearts are gay, and glad we ride along, 
To us it is opening day, our lives are full of song. 
And though the eve shall come at last, the love that all the day 
Shone bright as sunshine on the past shall gild our starry way. 
Refrain 

Hurrah, my friends, the golden Quest, a shining cloud by day, 
A light by night to cheer our rest, still hangs above our way. 
The glimmer of that Holy Grail that bade the young knight on 
In beckoning glory shall not fail until its joy be won. 
Refrain 

William Byron Forbush. 
A BOY'S HYMN 
Air: DeKoven's "Recessional' ' 
God ot our boyhood, whom we yield 
The tribute of our youthful praise* 
Upon the well-contested field, 

And 'mid the glory of these days, 
God of our youth, be with us yet, 
Lest we forget, lest we forget! 

Sturdy of limb, with bounding health, 

Eager to play the hero's part, 
Grant to us each that greater wealth — 
An undefined and loyal heart. 

God of our youth, be Thou our might, 
To do the right, to do the right! 

When from the field of mimic strife. 

Of strength with strength, and speed with speed 
We face the sterner fights of life, 
As still our strength in time of need. 
God of our youth, be with us then, 
And make us men, and make us men! 
149 



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CASTLE SONG 
Air: Watch on the Rhine 

There is a call that rings and grows 

Across the land, from sea to sea, — 
King Arthur's Knights against his foes! 

For honor and for chivalry! 

Chorus 
Our order! Here we pledge anew 
Allegiance steadfast, brave and true, 
Our vows shall never, never be forgot 
Together now— K. O. K. A. [Shalott!]* 

The tourney and the joust are done, 

The clang of arms we hear no more; 
Yet there are conquests to be won, 

Crusades to follow as of yore. 
Chorus 

When each shall set his lance in rest, 

In after years and far away, 
It shall be still the King's high quest, 

The royal battle, day by dayl 
Chorus 

So, brothers of our Table Round, 

It shall be true which here we sing, 
In hand and heart together bound 

We'll face the foe and serve the King! 
Chorus 
— Mary Chandler Jones, Queen of Avilion. 



*As this was written especially for Shalott Castle the name was used 
here. Other castles should substitute their names. 



150 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

SONG OF THE SOLDIERS 
Air: Jamie's on the Stormy Sea 

Comrades known in marches many, 
Comrades tried in dangers many, 
Comrades, bound by memories many, 

Brothers ever let us be. 
Wounds or sickness may divide us. 
Marching orders may divide us, 
But, whatever fate betide us, 

Brothers of the heart are we. 

By communion of the banner, — 
Crimson, white and starry banner, — 
By the baptism of the hanner, 

Children of one Church we be. 
Creed nor faction can divide us, 
Race nor language can divide us, 
Still, whatever fate betide us, 

Children of the flag are we. 

By our bright cross-hilted sword-blades, 
By our flashing, heaven-bathed sword-blades, 
By our circled, comrade sword-blades, 

Warriors of the King we be. 
Comrades, hail the Cross that leads us, 
Comrades, hail the Grail that beckons, 
Comrades, hail the War that waits us. 

Knights of holy chivalry. 

— First two verses by Miles O'Reilly. 

EVERYBODY WORKS BUT ARTHUR! 

(Song of the King's Jester) 

Every morning towards twelve o'clock 

I tumble out of bed, 
And set to work quite hard you know, 

To earn my daily bread. 
It's mighty tough to get up jokes, 

And always play the fool; 
I sometimes think I might as well 

Be back again at school! 
151 



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Chorus 

Everybody works but Arthur, and he sits around all day, 
High on his velvet cushion, chatting with old Sir Kay, 

Squires and knights go questing, tourneying thro' the land, 
Kay and the king are resting in the castle grand! 

But boys, I'm only jollying you, 

You know it is my way; 
For, poking fun it is my cue, 

I strive to make you gay. 
King Arthur, everybody knows, 

Is bravest of the brave; 
Where others quail, he does not fail, 

But fights the weak to save. 

Chorus 
Everybody runs but Arthur, he always holds the field, 
Whoe'er may fail or falter, right in the van his shield. 

Right in the forefront dashes, Arthur with conquering spear; 
There Arthur's bright sword flashes, while foemen fall and 
fear. 

A truce, now, to the minstrel's jest 

And a song for the Table Round, 
For true as steel in every test 

Our white-cross knights are found, 
Sir Lancelot, Gareth, Gawain, — 

Bors, Galahad, and Kay! 
Yes, Kay a jolly fellow is, 

Laugh at him as we may! 

Chorus 
Everybody runs but Arthur, everybody runs but Kay ; 
Enemies run before Arthur, Kay keeps out of the way! 
Everybody loves King Arthur, foemen fear his sword; 
Then, a shout for the knights of Arthur, true knights, in 
deed and word! 

— Rev. James Yeames. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

SIR GALAHAD 
Air: Honey Boy! 
See him gaily ride away, 

Our noble lad! 
He must go, as you know, 
On his quest for what is best, 

Sir Galahad! 
With his shining sword, and armor bright 
Fighting ever for the right, 

Sir Galahad! 
Courage high! Foemen fly! 
Let not hope nor purpose fail, 
Yonder shines the Holy Grail, 
Arthur's knights ne'er quit nor quail, 

Galahad ! 

Chorus 
Galahad! We give you joyous speeding! 
Galahad! We follow on your leading! 
Where you are riding, riding on your way, 

Gallant boy, Galahad! 
For each heart is filled with high emotion, 
We will strive to copy your devotion; 

Comrades dear, Never fear! 
We will follow, follow, 

Follow after Galahad! 

Strong as with the strength of ten, 

Go, gallant lad! 
Heart so pure, stroke so sure, 
For your sword is "bathed in heav'n/' 

Sir Galahad! 
To our white-cross flag we know you're true 
And our hearts are all with you, 

Our Galahad! 
Hail the King! Shout and sing! 
Here we pledge ourselves again 
Loyal knights and gentle men, 
Without fear, and without stain, 

Galahad! 

Chorus 

— Rev. James Yeames. 
153 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



BALLADE OF THE KING TO COME 

When all his grievous wounds are well, 

And Uther's son once more may bear 
The brunt of mail, and break the spell 

That binds him, mazed and waiting, there, 
The glint along his fluent hair, 

The gleam his pallid brow upon, 
Shall herald happiness most rare, 

When Arthur comes from Avalon. 

Then Lancelot, the leal, shall quell 

With ardent glance the baleful glare 
Of Vivien's headlong flame of hell, 

And snatch old Merlin from the snare; 
A guiltless Guinevere shall wear 

Undimmed the tourney diamonds on 
A brow serene and debonair, 

When Arthur comes from Avalon. 

Then reckless Gawain truth shall tell, 

Then joy shall crown Elaine, the fair, 
Sir Galahad desert the cell, 

And Percival the Grail-sight share; 
Young Pelleas shall wed Ettarre, 

White Samite Enid true shall don, 
And Modred languish in his lair, 

When Arthur comes from Avalon. 

Envoi 
Sir knights, loud then shall trumpet blare, 

Shall good brand flash and clang anon 
Around the double-dragoned chair — 

When Arthur comes from Avalon. 

— Charlton Andrews, from the Journal of Education. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

TRUE KNIGHTHOOD 
Air: Stand up for Jesus. 

True knighthood is transcendent; 

Not in the arms of old, 
Nor shining shields, resplendent 

With heraldry and gold. 
Its accolade eternal, 

Unerring in its sway, 
Awaits the deed supernal 

In tourney of to-day. 

Its torch is for the victor, 

When gain to honor yields, 
And conscience leads as victor, 

To those triumphant fields; 
For him who dares to enter 

The dungeon of his soul, 
And in its darkest center 

Slay passion's deadly ghoul. 

The true knight's soul is burning 

With noble discontent; 
His eager feet are turning 

To one more steep ascent; 
The joy of life he measures 

By heavy hearts made light, 
Unselfish deeds the pleasures 

That make his pathway bright. 

His eyes in field elysian 

May look on things unseen, 
But in his daily vision 

His kindly gaze is keen; 
He sees a brother weary, 

And lends a helping hand, 
And when the sky is dreary 

Points out the silver band. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



And so, if unavailing 

Some holy quest appears, 
He sees a light unfailing, 

That shines through all the years; 
A touch immortal thrills him 

With unalloyed delight; 
A voice above him thrills him, 

And bids him "Rise, Sir Knight/' 

— John Mervin Hull. 



GOD OF THE PROPHETS 
Air: Toulon (in "In Excelsis") 

God of the prophets, bless the prophets' sons; 

Elijah's mantle o'er Elisha cast; 
Each age its solemn task may claim but once; 

Make each one nobler, stronger than the last. 

Anoint them prophets; make their ears attend 
To Thy divinest speech; their hearts awake 

To human need, their lips make eloquent 
To assure the right, and every evil break. 

Anoint them priests. Strong intercessors they 
For pardon, and for charity and peace. 

Ah, if with them the world might pass, astray, 
Into the dear Christ's life of sacrifice! 

Anoint them kings, aye, kingly kings, O Lord; 

Anoint them with the spirit of Thy Son. 
Theirs, not a jewelled crown — a blood-stained sword, 

Theirs, by sweet love, for Christ a kingdom won. 

Make them apostles, heralds of Thy cross; 

O truth, O faith, enrich our urgent time! 
Lord Jesus Christ, again with us sojourn, 

A weary world awaits Thy reign sublime. 

— Dennis Wortman. 



156 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

WHO IS A BRAVE MAN? 

Who is a brave man, who? 

Who is a brave man, who? 
He who dares defend the right, 

When right is miscall'd wrong; 
He who shrinks not from the fight, 
When weak contend with strong; 
Who, fearing God, fears none beside, 
And dares do right whate'er betide: 

This man hath courage true! 

This man hath courage true! 

Who is a free man, who? 

Who is a free man, who? 
He who finds his chief delight 

In keeping God's commands; 
He who loves whate'er is right, 

And hath to sin no bonds; 
From ev'ry law but one set free, 
The perfect law of liberty: 

This man hath freedom true! 

This man hath freedom true! 

Who is a noble man? 
Who is a noble man? 
He who scorns both words and deeds 

That are not just and true; 
He whose heart for suff'ring bleeds, 

Is quick to feel and do; 
Whose noble soul will ne'er descend 
To treacherous act towards foe or friend: 
This is a noble man! 
This is a noble man! 

*The pages containing these hymns and music are separately printed for 
the use of castles in their meetings, 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



XVII 

CASTLES IN SCHOOLS 
While the order was originally devised for use in 
the churches, it has become a conviction of its leaders, 
verified by practical tests, that the plan is equally 
well adapted for use in educational institutions of all 
grades, and, indeed, is the best if not the only solution 
of certain very serious problems now confronting the 
masters of high and secondary schools, where the 
secret fraternities are being organized. 

The basis of the order is to be found in literature 
already in use in the schools. There is hardly a grade 
where the legends of Arthur are not being read and 
studied. Under these circumstances it is a very 
simple matter to make the school a Castle of King 
Arthur. This is clearly shown by the following 
letter : 

" I am a teacher in the Decatur, 111., Public 
Schools. For the past tAVO years I have read the King 
Arthur stories to my fourth grade pupils. So per- 
fectly wild did they become over them that we called 
our room ' King Arthur's Court.' The children chose 
their own King and Queen, and each took one of the 
characters. It was simply done for their own enjoy- 
ment, but I found it was productive of much good. 
Discipline became much easier. I could say to a boy 
who had done something rude and unkind, ' That 
was surely an unknightly thing to do. ' There was no 
system or special work. ' ' 

158 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

The Superintendent of the Lewistown, Montana, 
Public Schools, reports: " We have a membership of 
46 boys and they are delighted with the work. We 
find the castle a great help in the discipline of the 
school. ' ' 

The town Superintendent, Atlanta, Ind., writes: 
" The boys are wild about it. We find that we are 
able to emphasize the moral and religious side as well 
as, if not better, than if connected with a church. 
The people say they can tell a member of the K. 0. 
K. A. when they meet him on the street." 

A castle has existed in one of the Philadelphia, Pa., 
Public Schools for several years. 

Of the castle at the New Paltz State Normal 
School, New York, the Merlin says : 

" It has held the boys to high ideals and in many 
instances has been an influence for good in school 
life." 

In Girard College, whose singular charter allows 
no minister of the gospel inside its walls, one of the 
professors, who was exceedingly anxious to bring 
some moral influences to bear upon the boys, studied 
our ritual, and after carefully thinking the matter 
over, wrote to headquarters concerning one difficulty, 
that is, our presentation of the Christ, and church 
membership. This could not be done in the College. 
The difficulty did not seem serious. The adopting of 
other ideals which would be worthy and entirely con- 
sistent with the institution was suggested. This was 
done. The castle was organized, and meetings regu- 
larly held during the season. As the graduates were 
about to leave, the professor asked those Avho had 
been members of the K. 0. K. A. to write him letters 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



telling what they thought the castle had done for 
them. Let us give you extracts from one of the 
letters: li My being one of the Knights of King 
Arthur has helped me morally very materially. It 
made me think. It made me more honorable and I 
am sure manlier. From the fact that her leading 
students are more manly, spiritual, more clean and 
honest, it would naturally be supposed that the col- 
lege is raised to a higher standard, and such I 
honestly believe to be the case." A second castle has 
been organized. A club room is now equipped for the 
use of the castles. The professor himself writes : "I 
want to thank you for the castle and for the sym- 
pathetic assistance you have rendered. I feel that it 
has enabled me to get the much needed personal hold 
on the boys, and I know of many other cases besides 
the one quoted where the boys have been helped." 

In Girard, the castle recognizes work done in con- 
nection with the regular courses of study. " The 
boys have to make 1,000 points to reach the second 
degree and one of the ways is by reading books, for 
which they get various credits, from one-eighth per 
page for biography of their own name to one-thirty- 
second per page for fiction. It has really done some 
good and so far, at least, a dozen books have been 
read which otherwise would not have been touched." 

These examples simply show that the principle 
underlying the castle may be applied in educational 
institutions. Castles are also being conducted in St. 
Andrew's School, Richmond, Va., and in Interlaken 
School, La Porte, Ind., and other places. 

Masters of secondary schools will appreciate the 
fact that the K. 0. K. A. offers a satisfactory method 

160 




Uniformed Officers, Castle Glamis, 694, Spring Forge, Pa. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

for meeting the problems of the fraternities. Up to 
the present time almost all that h>as been done has 
been ineffective, or at least has caused much trouble. 
In this age it is not enough to say to the boys, ' ' You 
must not, you cannot organize! " The spirit of or- 
ganization is in the air. It simply needs direction 
and control. The sooner the masters realize this the 
better it will be for all concerned. 

The seat and source of all the trouble in the 
fraternities is the utter lack of responsibility. They 
are organized absolutely independent of the faculties, 
and are wholly free of adult supervision or sugges- 
tion. This is their weakness. This is just as true 
of organizations of boys — of gangs as we call them, 
outside the schools. This was perceived long ago. 

The K. 0. K. A. meets this difficulty and overcomes 
this weakness by providing definite and positive 
adult supervision. Charters are not granted to boys 
— but to an adult working with the boys. In the case 
of schools, charters are granted to the masters 
or teachers. They would be supreme. While the 
boys would be free to do every good thing, they 
would be restrained from doing the wrong thing. We 
believe that the K. 0. K. A. is admirably adapted to 
provide the type of organization needed by our 
schools to-day. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



XVIII 

THE QUEENS OF AVILION 
We know of no instance in which girls are integral 
members of the castles, although sometimes co-educa- 
tional societies, like those of Christian Endeavor, 
segregate their boys for special meetings only, into 
castles. But sometimes the enthusiasm of a boys' 
castle becomes contagious among their girl friends, 
and they clamor for an affiliated organization. 

The Order of Queens of Avilion, or of Ladies of the 
Court of King Arthur, as it is called where ' ' Courts p ' 
of girls are associated with " Castles " of boys, is 
founded upon an amplification of the legend of the 
Island of Avilion, the Celtic land of the Blessed, 
where the dominion of good women brings healing, 
peace and purity to all. Hither Arthur came to be 
healed of his wounds, and thence he comes to redeem 
the times. 

While woman is the center of reverence in the 
knightly legends, her part in the stories is apt to be 
somewhat colorless and meagre. But girls do not 
require so elaborate an organization as boys, and their 
desire for initiations is not so keen as that of boys. The 
thought of imitation of heroines, the purer ideals of 
chivalry and the glamor of legends will all be as effec- 
tive with girls as they have been found to be with 
boys. With a basis similar to that of the Knights, the 
special virtues to be cultivated by the Queens are 
these, truthfulness, fidelity, refinement of thought 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

and speech, and the grace of ministration. The virtue 
of purity, in thought, speech, manners and conduct, 
will be delicately and conscientiously inculcated. The 
thought of keeping pure enough and fair enough to 
deserve knightly devotion, of cherishing the house- 
wifely virtues and the gentle handicrafts, and of 
being helpful comrades to boys— these are traits 
which our woman's club age and the mannish, slangy- 
period of school girl life may well attend to. 

The society is not a mere appendage to a castle. It 
is wholly independent and self-governing. It is not 
secret. 

A number of successful courts, some of them now 
six years old, have been established. The plan is 
believed to be peculiarly well adapted to meet the 
dangers of the high school sorority. 

There are some simple forms for sessions and for 
granting the different ranks, which are, usually, those 
of Pilgrim to Avilion, Lady of the Court and Queen. 

A handbook containing suggestions, constitutions, 
and ritual, may be obtained for 25 cents. (See 
chapter XXIII, price of apparatus.) 



163 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



XIX 

THE BROTHERHOOD OF DAVID 

For a number of years there has been constant 
inquiry for a form of organization for boys who are 
too young for the Knights of King Arthur. For, 
while the Knights is most successful with boys of 
fourteen or, at the earliest, of twelve, boys begin to 
organize spontaneously as early as ten. Before four* 
teen boys are socially in a semi-savage and tribal 
state, and so an organization of a lively character 
with features that reflect the period to which the 
methods apply will be apt to be successful. 

In order to meet this demand, Dr. Forbush has 
worked out the plan of a simple organization for 
younger boys, to which has been given the name of 
the Brotherhood of David. As the name implies, the 
plan is built upon the great Bible story of David, a 
fact which will be gratifying to many who have 
wished for a Biblical element in their work, and the 
period and the story both are full of materials that 
are fascinating to boys of this age. 

The idea has not been worked out very elaborately 
yet, indeed it may never be necessary to do so, and the 
inventor hopes that, as in the case of the Knights, 
plans may be advanced by others that will be fully 
as valuable as his own. 

David is certainly the boys' hero par excellence of 
the Old Testament. His humble origin, his attractive 
boyhood traits, his adventures at the king's court and 

164 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

in exile, his friendship for Jonathan and his rise to 
the kingship suggest admirable lessons for the boys 
of to-day. The central event in David's youth has 
been seized on as the framework of the Brotherhood : 
the boy exile getting ready to be king. The home 
of the club is a " Cave," corresponding to the cave 
of Adullam, each local branch is a " Camp, ' ' and, of 
course, the " David " of the Camp is the presiding 
officer, with " Nathan the prophet " as his adult 
counsellor. Friendly adults are the kings of Tyre, 
Moab and Gath, and opponents in baseball or enemies 
of boyhood are respectively Amalekites and Philis- 
tines. The various companions of David in the story 
are the officials of the Camp and a sort of co-chairman 
is " Jonathan." 

The " Cave " is a church room in winter and a 
literal cave or a tent in summer. The boys sit or 
crouch on the floor in a circle and David and 
Jonathan reign from a long bench covered with a skin 
or a rug. Costumes are imitated from the Tissot 
Old Testament paintings and are made out of old 
shawls, portieres and armor of cardboard covered 
with silver paper. 

Each boy enters as a "Shepherd." After three 
months he may become a " Mighty Man of Valour," 
and later a " Prince." Each lad selects a name from 
one of David's followers. Each Shepherd has to 
make himself a sling and learn how to use it. The 
Mighty Men make bows and arrows and shields. 

All that is usable in the King Arthur idea is 
simplified for this society and the members of it are 
all the time looking for the day when they can emerge 

165 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



from the barbarism that was a thousand years before 
Christ to the chivalry that was five hundred years 
after Christ. 

The material may be ordered from Mr. Masseck, 
who has the same relative position in the new society 
as in its older brother, being " King David " of all 
the camps. Mr. Forbush is the " Jonathan " of the 
Brotherhood. 

A camp outfit costs two dollars, and consists of 
a handbook containing details, enrollment as a 
" Camp," charter, two dozen unique membership 
cards, one dozen celluloid badges, and a year's sub- 
scription to the quarterly magazine " Work With 
Boys." The badges— a beautiful symbolic design on 
a purple background— are fifty cents per dozen. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



XX 

THE WOODCRAFT INDIANS 

A very good organization preparatory to the 
Knights of King Arthur is that of the " Woodcraft 
Indians," originated by the well known naturalist, 
Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton. This is so for two 
reasons. One is, that boys of eight to twelve or four- 
teen are really in the Indian stage of development, 
and they are given in Mr. Seton 's plan a harmless 
and even uplifting way of working out their energies 
in this direction. The other is that there is some 
harmony between the methods used in the Seton 
Indians, and those used in the Knights of King 
Arthur: the adoption of nicknames, the progressive 
decorations, the use of " honors," etc. 

Mr. Seton is himself much interested in the Knights 
of King Arthur and has expressed to the authors his 
cordial desire that the two organizations may co- 
operate in every possible way. 

Those who wish to know about the Woodcraft 
Indians will send 25 cents for ' ' The Birch-Bark Roll 
of the Woodcraft Indians." For fuller information 
they will send $1.25 for " Two Little Savages." 

By special arrangement with Mr. Seton, the " List 
of Exploits that entitle a Brave to a Decoration " in 
the Woodcraft Indians is adopted as additional 
measurements for fitness for the peerage in our Order. 
These were furnished by some of the leading author- 

167 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



ities in athletics, out-door sports, marksmanship and 
nature study in this country. 

These exploits are divided into three classes, " The 
Red Honors, ' ' for heroism in athletics ; ' ' The White 
Honors," for campcraft; and " The Blue Honors," 
for nature study and photography. Under each there 
is a " Coup " and a " Grand Coup." These 
" Coups " are for three ages of boys: boys under 
fourteen; lads, fourteen to eighteen; and men, over 
eighteen. 

The recognition of these exploits in the K. 0. K. 
A. will be found in Chapter XI, ' ' The Peerage. ' ' 

Proof of having accomplished these exploits is to 
be made according to the rules set down by the Wood- 
craft Indians. 

By this arrangement the Woodcraft Indians have 
a chance to secure honorable places in our Order when 
they have outgrown the Indian period and our mem- 
bers have the privilege of measuring their achieve- 
ments by the finest scientific standards. 



168 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



XXI 

THE CAPTAINS OF TEN 

The Captains of Ten is a handicraft plan for club 
work with boys in churches. It was devised by Miss 
A. B. Mackintire and has had a continuous, success- 
ful trial in Dr. McKenzie's church, Cambridge, for 
twenty years. We outline it here because it is very 
suggestive to those who desire to use some freer form 
of work with boys. It furnishes a most excellent 
preparatory department for younger boys not old 
enough to enter the Knights of King Arthur. The 
Captains of Ten are captains of their ten fingers. 
Their watchword is " loyalty." Their motto is 
" The hand of the diligent shall bear rule, but the 
hand of the slothful shall be under tribute." The 
membership is from eight to fourteen years of age. 

The boys under Miss Mackintire 's direction have 
engaged in various kinds of work, sloyd, weaving, 
whittling, cardboard work, wood-carving, etc. There 
is a monthly business meeting and a missionary meet- 
ing. The boys give to some missionary object in 
which they take interest, the products of their hand- 
work being sold annually for the purpose. They also 
give an annual entertainment, usually in the form of 
historic tableaux of a dignified but original character. 
They have also an annual field day. A group picture 
is taken each year and these assembled photographs 
are very interesting. The older boys either do ad- 
vanced work or else act as helpers to Miss Mackintire. 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



At about fourteen they are graduated into the 
Knights of King Arthur. There is no Junior En- 
deavor Society in that church, but the influence of 
the leader is such upon character that the boys seem 
to ripen naturally into a Christian life and most of 
them eventually become members of the church. If 
it be true, as the psychologists are telling us, that 
the secret of will power is in muscular activity, and 
that moral vigor rests upon interest and especially 
interest in the welfare of others, then work by such 
a method should not be neglected by those desirous 
of forming in boys a manly type of Christianity. 
The essentials are (1) a good and wise leadership, 
.(2) some kind of handicraft, (3) work for others. 
Those who use such a method are of course not 
obliged to take this name, but it would be helpful 
if such clubs would write Miss Mackintire so they 
may be put into helpful correspondence with each 
other. While the plan is not a prescribed scheme, 
a pamphlet describing in detail the work done in 
the Shepard Memorial Church may be obtained for 
25 cents from Mr. Masseck, or of Miss A. B. Mackin- 
tire, 51 Avon Hill St., Cambridge, Mass. 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 



XXII 

SOME RESULTS 

A Merlin in Bangor, Maine, says " We notice 
improvements in the moral life of most of the boys. 
Two or three have made marked moral victories, and 
others have done well. Especially have mothers in 
sympathy with the order been helped in uplifting 
their sons." 

One of our Merlins says " I am astonished at the 
amount of influence a castle has. Being a doctor, 
and very busy, I am not a very good Merlin, but am 
delighted with this work. We have stood against 
many of the things which hurt boys in small towns. ' ' 

A pastor writes, " I have found that the K. 0. K. 
A. is what it claims. It brings the boys under favor- 
able circumstances— the personal influence of the 
Merlin. This is what counts, I think, most of all. 
Associated effort in right doing heroically also helps. 
Some of the boys from non-Christian homes are ex- 
hibiting fine traits of character." 

Miss A. B. Mackintire, who has been at the head of 
one castle for twelve years, writes, " I am sure the 
scheme will work well in the hands of a Merlin who 
is himself in sympathy with the ideals of the order, 
and who is familiar with and thoroughly enjoys the 
Round Table legends. I believe it is the spirit of 
chivalry and courtliness and loyalty to ideals which 
the boys of this age need, and which they will get 
more naturally in a castle of this order than in a 

171 



»THE BOYS' tROUND TABLE 



literary, military, patriotic or religious club, while 
any one and all these features may be made features 
of the castle work." This castle has seen many of 
its members made peers after five years membership, 
and upon attainment of their majority. 

In a community in which there was a very strong 
opposition to church membership; in a church with 
which no young man under 25 years of age had 
ever united; from a class composed of the worst 
gang in the Sunday school, after three years of 
the K. 0. K. A., four under 21 years of age, 
united with the church. One is now an ordained 
clergyman, a second is the superintendent of the 
Sunday school, and all four are among the finest, 
purest, most religious young men to be found any- 
where. 

In a western lumber town where several organiza- 
tions had been tried faithfully, with absolutely no 
success, the K. 0. K. A. interested the boys from the 
beginning, and has held them for several years. 
They have erected a " Palace of Industry," where 
manual training classes are conducted. Boys are 
giving up cigarettes in order to join. Men financially 
interested in the community have provided money for 
their benefit. 

Marshall, Texas, May 19, 1908. 
Last June, Red Star Castle, No. 165, disbanded. 
Nearly all the boys were grown, and had gone into 
some kind of work that took up most of their time, 
and a number of the members had left town. Be- 
sides, other duties so pressed me that I could not 
give due attention to this line of work. The castle's 

172 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

library was donated to the High School of this city, 
the athletic goods were sold, and the money we had 
in the treasury was used to buy a very fine pair of 
scales, which were also presented to the Marshall 
High School for their laboratory. I had this club 
in charge for seven years continuously, and I wish 
to say that the K. O. K. A. method is certainly 
most excellent for working with boys. So far every 
one of " my boys " makes a good impression 
wherever he goes. There is no K. 0. K. A. organiza- 
tion in this town now, and if I ever see an oppor- 
tunity I would like to join your ranks again. 

With best wishes for your continued success, and 
thanking you for your many courtesies, I remain, 
(Miss) Sophia F. Marschalk, 

119 Frazier Street. 

Prof. George E. Dawson, Ph. D., of the Hart- 
ford School of Religious Pedagogy, one of the 
greatest authorities on child study in America, says 
of the order: 

" It is the plan which comes the nearest of all of 
which I know to the psychological development of 
boys. If it be true, as many students claim, that 
the various ages of the child represent the earlier 
ages of humanity, then the Knights of King Arthur 
reaches the chivalric, heroic age of boyhood in a way 
both scientific and unique." 

The Rev. Alexander Mackenzie, D. D., of Cam- 
bridge, has been much pleased and interested in the 
work of the successful castle in his church, and says : 
" This revival of ancient courtesy is , one of the most 
encouraging signs of our times." 

173 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Rev. John Q. Adams, founder of the Boys' Brigade 
in America, wrote that he felt " that the Knights 
have some advantages for boys where other plans 
would not work, ' ' and organized a castle. 

In a little town of Northern Vermont, where the 
boys were notoriously vulgar, obscene and impure, 
the Baptist and Congregational pastors united to- 
gether and formed a castle. In less than a year the 
influence of that little group of lads had almost 
purified the entire boy life. Cigarette smoking 
ceased. Profanity was seldom heard. Impurity was 
driven out of sight. So great was the transformation 
that business men on the street commented upon the 
fact, and showed their appreciation of the wonderful 
work by receptions to the members of the castle. 

Rev. Wm. Walter Smith, M. D., Secretary of the 
Sunday School Commission, Diocese of New York, 
refers to the K. 0. K. A. as " The Ideal Society for 
Boys." 

" I have had four good boys' clubs in eighteen 
years and this is the best ever. We don't care to 
have this report make a loud noise, needn't trouble to 
print it or to notice it. But we want you to know 
that the boys, the parents and Merlin unanimously 
vote the K. 0. K. A. a great thing." 

—Rev. W. C. A. Wallar, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. 

We were in a Boston store, one of the proprietors 
of which is a friend of ours. He said, " I am in- 
terested in your K. 0. K. A. I want to know more 
about it." 

" Why," I replied, " are you interested? " 

" I will tell you. My boy is a great lover of foot- 
ball. He has played on his school team. He goes 

174 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

to all the great games. We have season tickets for 
all the games on the Harvard Stadium. The Satur- 
day of the Harvard-Dartmouth game found all 
excitement at our table. Everybody was going, when 
all at once this boy, who is such an enthusiast, 
quietly remarked that he had another engagement for 
the afternoon. All were amazed. No questioning 
could bring any further information from him as to 
the character of the engagement. But after dinner, 
when all alone with me, the boy said ' I am to be 
initiated into the K. O. K. A. this afternoon/ That 
makes me think the K. O. K. A. is a pretty strong 
thing, when it will drag a lad, who loves football 
from one of the best contests of the season. ' [ 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



XXIII 

APPARATUS AND PRICE LISTS 

No regalia is necessary and none is prescribed by 
the order. Not only is it desirable that the boys 
should make whatever is used, but it is well that it 
should not be expensive. The following suggestions 
are made : We should advocate as the first equipment, 
scarfs or sashes for the members to wear at con- 
clave. These are of cloth and a little over two yards 
long and six or eight inches wide. They may be for 
the Pages of blue, for the Esquires red, for Knights 
white. The material should be cheap cashmere, tur- 
key red or other light cotton goods, costing not more 
than ten cents a yard. They are worn over the right 
shoulder and under the left arm. Upon the shoulder 
or breast should be fastened a large white maltese 
cross made from pasteboard or celluloid. 

The various pictures in this book show how the 
castles have developed their regalia. Uniformity is 
not desirable, and no patterns are available. Each 
castle must carefully consider the expense, and not 
go beyond the ability of the members. 

The Pages are entitled to bear spears, the Esquires 
shields, and the Knights swords. The spears may be 
a light staff and should bear at the top a bannerette 
containing the colors or coat of arms selected by the 
owner. This is to be borne in processionals and kept 
upright at his seat at conclave. The sword may be 
made from a lath whittled, with a handle affixed and 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

covered with gilt or silver paper. The shield may be 
made by covering a hoop with a red cloth and placing 
a white cross or the Knight's name or motto upon its 
surface. The officers may later have robes, but at 
first may simply have the badges of the proper color 
to indicate their rank. The King 's robe may be pur- 
ple, the Merlin's black, the Seneschal's green, the 
Constable's yellow and the Sentinel's brown. 

The badge of the order is a white maltese cross 
upon a red background. This may be made of red 
satin ribbon with the cross embroidered in silk or 
made of white celluloid. 

The garb of a candidate for Page is a ragged coat, 
of a member candidate for a higher degree the scarf 
or uniform of his degree which would be changed dur- 
ing his initiation for the insignia of the next higher 
degree. 

A special uniform might be made to be worn by 
the candidate when he is initiated. Thus a baldric, a 
white leather belt, embroidered with gold, with special 
sword, and golden spurs may be made for the con- 
ferring of knighthood. 

Some castles may get so far as to have inexpensive 
jackets of the proper color for Page, Esquire and 
Knight. A long smock with short trousers and long 
stockings is a very good imitation of the costume of 
a knight when indoors. 

All these things, it may be seen, can be made by 
the boys themselves or by their friends and at very 
small cost. The providing of them and making of 
them in the castle meetings will keep up a continued 
interest. 

Should the boys be experts in carving, a handsome 



THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Siege Perilous or throne might be the product of 
their handiwork. 

For the castle use and for visitations, an American 
flag and a castle banner may be provided. The castle 
banner may at first be merely a square of red cash- 
mere with a cross of white or silver paper. Later the 
patron ladies of the castle will be ready to give a 
silk, embroidered banner. 

Many castles have originated local emblems of their 
own. We shall be glad to learn what some of these 
original ideas are. Except in the use of the white 
maltese cross and the colors of the order, red and 
white, it is not desired that the castles should attempt 
complete uniformity of apparatus. 

It should be emphasized that all paraphernalia ex- 
cept the street badges are the property of the castle 
and not of the individual members, are never to be 
taken from the hall and are never to be worn by one 
who is not a member. 

The following are the publications of the order, 
with price list. In addition, the headquarters takes 
orders for the books and pictures mentioned in the 
chapter devoted to those topics. 

Price List of Publications 

The handbook of the order, The Boys' Round Table, 
cloth, one dollar, postpaid. 

Complete outfit for a castle, including one hand- 
book, charter, enrollment in the international organ- 
ization, Merlin's certificate, 25 copies each of conclave 
and first degree, 10 each of second and third degrees, 
one year's subscription each to Work With Boys y and 

178 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

to King Arthur's Herald, all for $3.00, carriage pre- 
paid. 

Minimum outfit for a castle, consisting of one hand- 
book, charter and enrollment (give castle name with 
order), $1.25, carriage prepaid. 

Copies of either conclave or initiation for any 
degree, 25 cents a dozen, postpaid. Constitutions, 10 
cents a dozen, postpaid. Song sheets are also avail- 
able. 

Work With Boys, the indispensable organ of boys' 
work, each number containing a King Arthur depart- 
ment, edited by Mr. Masseck, quarterly, $1.00 a year. 

King Arthur's Herald, the news medium of the 
castles, monthly, 25 cents a year. 

Membership certificates with four open spaces pro- 
vided in which to put seals for Page, Esquire, Knight 
and Baronet, with place for date of admission to 
each rank, and signature of Merlin below. Price five 
cents each in any number. Certificates for higher 
ranks, same price. 

" The Young Knight, or How Gareth Won His 
Spurs," a dramatization of Tennyson's " Gareth and 
Lynette," for castle use, by the Rev. James Yeames. 
Full text, with suggestions for presentation, 25 cents. 

" Alice in Wonderland," from the story by Lewis 
Carroll, arranged by Rev. C. F. Robinson, especially 
for the K. O. K. A. Full text with suggestions for 
presentation, 25 cents. 

Badges 

(1) Celluloid pins, round, red field, 
with white cross, K. O. K. A. in blue, 
50 cents a dozen. 




THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



(2) Sterling silver pins, shield shape, 
red field— Maltese cross in silver, K. O. 
K. A. in blue, the colors a fine, hard 
enamel, a beautiful piece of work, 40 
cents each, $4.50 a dozen. 





velvet ; International 



(3) A badge, designed 
to wear at the meetings. 
The bar and medallion 
are made of solid metal, 
and cannot be bent or 
broken, excepting under 
very exceptional and extra- 
ordinary strain. The rib- 
bons are attached so that 
they are easily changeable. 
The color of the ribbon de- 
notes the rank: Page— blue; 
Esquire— red; Knight 
—white; Baronet— gold 
bar across color of rank; 
Baron— purple; Viscount 
—yellow; Earl— lavender; 
Marquis— light blue; Duke 
—crimson; Prince— red 
King— purple velvet; Mage 



Merlin— gold velvet. A Page purchasing one of these 



180 



ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

badges will be given a blue ribbon. When he becomes 
an Esquire he easily puts in the red, and so on. 

In connection with 3, for 

^* the officers, a jewel is to be 

4^|f| §|§|^H hung over the ribbon, for which 

<|P^JV|j Iu4 a hook is provided on the 

ma fjP §Mrmlk l° wer P art °^ ^ ie Dar - Merlin 

^F mf is denoted by the torch of wis- 

t»L m GBf dom; Pendragon by crossed 

^j»y_^frepr gavels; Seneschal by crossed 

^SEpS^P^ pens; Sentinel by crossed 

swords; Constable by crossed 

batons ; Master of Exchequer, by money bag ; Dubric, 

by open Bible; Jester, by Puck; and Herald by a 

horn. These jewels should be owned by the castle, 

and so passed from officer to officer whenever changes 

are made. They are not made to wear apart from the 

badge 3. 

Badge 3 and jewels are finished in oxidized 
silver. The prices are: badges, 35 cents each, $3.50 
per dozen, postpaid. Jewels, ten cents each, $1.00 per 
dozen. In ordering state for what rank and office. 

(4) A stick pin, sterling silver sword, with 
colors of the order enameled on hilt, and K. 
0. K. A. on blade. 50 cents each, $5.00 
per dozen. 

(5) Same as 4, only with colors set in 
stone, garnet, imitation diamond and tur- 
quoise, 75 cents each, $7.50 per dozen. 

In ordering the more expensive badges, 
always add 8 cents for registration of pack- 
age, to insure safe delivery. 



181 




THE BOYS' ROUND TABLE 



Castle Banner, 16 
x24, suspended from 
antique oak arm, or- 
namented with brass 
acorns, and hung 
from a 7 foot var- 
nished hardwood 
staff, surmounted 
with a 7 inch spear, 
and ornamented with 
white silk tassels and 
cord, with the Castle 
name and number 
and letters " K. 0. 
K. A." (Send name 
and number of Castle 
with order). Silk, 
$5.50; Satin, $6.50. 
U. S. Flag, printed silk, 24x36, mounted on 7 foot 
varnished hardwood staff, surmounted wdth 6% m ch 
solid brass spear, $2.00. Same flag trimmed with one 
inch yellow fringe, $2.75. Prices of banners and 
flags, F. O. B., N. Y. City. 

BROTHERHOOD OF DAVID 
Handbook, 25 cents. 

^^g^^^ A camp outfit, comprising the 

handbook, two dozen membership 

cards, one dozen badges, a year's 

subscription to Work With Boys, 

with charter and enrollment (give 

^^■^^ name of camp and leader with 

order), $2.00. Celluloid badges, 50 cents per dozen. 

Membership cards, ten cents per dozen. 




mm 



182 




ORDER OF KNIGHTS OF KING ARTHUR 

QUEENS OF AVILION 

Handbook, 25 cents. 

Outfit, comprising one handbook, 25 copies of 
ritual and initiation, with charter and enrollment 
(give court name with order), $1.00. 

Celluloid badge for Queens of Avilion 
or Ladies of King Arthur's Court. The 
design and size are shown in this cut. 
(1) White cross on field of blue, with 
letters L. K. A. C. in red. (2) White 
cross on field of red with Q. A. in blue. 
Price 5 cents each, 50 cents per dozen. 
(3) Sterling silver badge, same style as K. 0. K. A. 
badge illustrated on page 180, but with Q. A. in the 
horizontal arms, 40 cents each, $4.50 per dozen. 
Handbook of the Captains of Ten, 25 cents. 
Handbook of the Woodcraft Indians, 25 cents. 
Estimates for specially worded rituals and specially 
prepared badges and banners will be sent on applica- 
tion. Give details of what is wanted. 

ALL ORDERS must be accompanied by cash and 
are to be addressed to 

Frank Lincoln Masseck, 
Potsdam, N. Y. 



183 



INDEX 

PASE 

Apparatus for K. O. K. A 176 

Ladies of the Court of King Arthur 162, 183 

Brotherhood of David 164, 182 

Arthurian Legends 122, 125 

Badges 104, 177, 179, 180 

Banners 178, 182 

Baronet 101 

Baron 101 

Book of Heroes, A 50 

Books, Lists of 125 

Boys, A Study of 21 

Brotherhood of David, The 164 

Caerleon 54 

Camps 39, 135 

Captains of Ten, The 169 

Castle, How to Conduct a 41 

Names for 53 

Handicraft for 39, 122 

Chamberlain, The 59, 62 

Chancellors, The 59, 62, 102 

Chivalry in K. O. K. A 38 

Colors of K. O. K. A 104 

Conclave, Form for 66 

The Conduct of a, 71 

Open 117 

Consistory, The 121 

Constable, The 59, 62 

Constitution, Form for a 58 

Explanation of 61 

Coronations, a form for 106 

Cost of a Castle 50 

County Palatine, The 19, 43, 102 

Coups 104 

David, Brotherhood of 164 

Degree System, The 33 

Dramatics 132 

Dubric 59 

Duke 102 

185 



Index 

Earl 102 

Earning the Degrees 118 

Entertainments for Castles 132 

Esquire, Degree of 82 

Examinations for 87 

Fees, Castle 50 

First Conclave, The 42 

First Degree, The 75 

"Frats," K. O. K. A., an Antidote to 161 

Games for K. O. K. A 134, 141 

Grail, The Holy 90, 94 

Grip, The 61 

Hall, G. Stanley on K. O. K. A 21 

Hall, How to Arrange a Castle 63 

How to Decorate a •• 118 

Handicraft in K. O. K. A 39, 121, 122 

Headquarters of K. O. K. A 18 

Heraldry 123 

Heralds, The 59, 62 

Heroism, Influence of, in K. O. K. A 38 

History of K O. K. A., The 15 

Initiations 44 

Conduct of 75, 82, 88 

Place of 75, 88 

Kay, Office of 58, 62 

King Arthur, Legends of 122, 125 

King Arthur's Herald; a Magazine 19, 139, 179 

King, Office of 58, 62 

King's Jester, The 59, 62 

Knight, Degree of 88 

Knights of King Arthur; The; History of 15 

Apparatus for 176 

Books upon 125 

Conclaves of 71 

Constitution of 58 

First Degree of 82 

Games for 134, 141 

How to Conduct 41 

In Schools 158 

186 



Index 

Methods of . . , . , , ,.,,.., 117 

Music for 142 

Peerage of . , , . , , , 100 

Pictures for 139 

Plan of 30 

Price list of Apparatus for 176 

Result of 171 

Second Degree of 82 

Siege Perilous of ....,.., , 34, 96 

Third Degree of , 88 

Ladies of the Court of King Arthur, described 162 

Apparatus for 162, 183 

Lady of the Lake, Office of 32, 62 

Duties of 62, 93 

Liturgy of K. O. K. A., The 35 

Mackintire, Miss A. B 170 

Marquis 102 

Merlin, Office of 31, 58 

Duties of 59 

Message to Boys, A 5 

Methods 117 

Motto of K. O. K. A 61 

Museum for a Castle 51 

Music for Castles 142 

Names, use of Knightly, in K. O. K. A 32 

Suggestions for 55 

Nature Study for Castles 39, 136 

New Castles, Form for Instituting 113 

Open Conclaves 117 

Page, Degree of 75 

Passwords 74 

Paynims 62 

Peerage, The 35, 100 

Personality, Influence of, in K. O. K. A 36 

Pictures for K. O. K. A . . . , 139 

Pilgrimages in K. O. K. A 51 

Plan of K. O. K. A 30 

Plays 132, 179 

187 



Index 

Prayers 67, 93, 107 

Princes 102 

Program for a Winter 48, 122 

Price List of Apparatus 176 

Queens of Avilion, The 162 

Quests in K. O. K. A 26, 39, 52 

Rallying Cries 64 

Reading Aloud in a Castle 50 

Reading Courses 103 

Regalia 176 

Results of K. O. K. A 171 

Roll, Castle 51 

Roll of Noble Deeds, The 51 

Rotation of Office in K. O. K. A 32, 120 

Round Table, The 29 

Salutation 120 

Schools, Castles in 158 

Second Degree 82 

Secrecy 50 

Seneschal, Office of 59, 62 

Sentinel 59 

Seton, Ernest Thompson 167 

Shields 122, 124, 176 

Siege Perilous, The 34, 96, 177 

Signals, Castle 61 

Spears 176 

Stereopticon, Uses for a 51 

Sunday School Methods 137 

Swords 176 

Third Degrees 88 

Titles 103 

Tournaments in K. O. K. A 141 

Tourneys 141 

Uniforms 176 

Uther 119, 120 

Viscount 102 

Woodcraft Indians, The 167 

Work With Boys; A Magazine 19, 139, 179 

Workshop, A Castle 121 

188 



en 



